Wolves, Dogs and Dragons
by S.Knoxville
Summary: Sequel to Pull of the Moon. Meredith works for Ludo Bagman and organizes the World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, but while shes there she runs into someone from her past who forces her to relive it, and all of a sudden her life is turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the sequel to "Pull of the Moon" (Thanks again to missuspadfootnmoony for the title, I love it!). I figured I'd post it, I mean...I wrote like three chapters of it already and its pretty good so far...at least I think it is :)

Anyway, again, I don't claim ownership to anything in this story except for my character Meredith, who is like...the most amazing person I've written ever. Hah.

Hope you enjoy it, and like always...I LOVE reviews, so please write them...if you have any suggestions or criticisms or anything I'd like to hear them. Feel free to send me a private message as well, if you'd like.

OK, I'm going to stop rambling now and let you get to the story. Hope you like it!

* * *

Wake up. Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Drink coffee. Walk to work. Answer to an unprofessional yet enthusiastic boss. Go home. Eat dinner alone. Shower. Study for Auror training. Go to sleep. Wake up and repeat. This was Meredith's routine and she resented every single part of it. It wasn't that she hated her job, she loved working for Ludo Bagman in the Department of Magical Games and Sports; it was just that she resented having such a monotonous routine. She was devastated when she learned it was going to take nearly three years to complete Auror training, and that was if she got everything right and perfect the first time. There were some issues regarding being a werewolf, but she managed to convince everyone that she was attacked by a werewolf two weeks after a full moon and therefore wasn't a true werewolf; there had been quite a few werewolf attacks in Scotland around the time she was bitten, so it was surprisingly easy to pull off. It was uncomfortable having to lie to people all the time but she told herself it was for her own good.

"Meredith! You'll never guess what's going to happen this year!" Ludo Bagman came storming into her office, catching her off guard.

After she collected the papers she had thrown in the air in surprise at Bagman's sudden entrance, Meredith caught her breath and smiled. "The Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts?" She said casually; the memo had already come through her office.

Bagman looked slightly crestfallen, "How did you--" he said, then his eyes fell upon the memo. "Ah, yes, I had hoped to tell you myself. Now," he said, clapping his hands together once and refocusing himself. "It's going to take a considerable amount of organization but I think we're going to be able to pull it off," he said, starting in a long-winded monologue of how they-along with several other people-were going to organize this huge event. They spent the rest of the day gathering information and contacting the Heads of the other two schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and talking to them about the Tournament.

Meredith went home that day thoroughly worn out; Bagman had an energetic personality, but being around him all day was somewhat exhausting; his enthusiasm was infectious and tended to drain her energy. When she walked into her apartment she immediately felt a difference in the atmosphere, some kind of disturbance. _Someone is here, hiding._ She thought to herself, instinctively pulling out her wand and walking through the hallway slowly. When she got to the living room her heart leapt out of her chest, and she dropped her wand in surprise. "Remus," she breathed, grinning broadly.

Sitting in the middle of the living room was a romantically decorated table complete with two lit candles and what looked to Meredith to be a very delicious pasta dinner. Lupin was sitting in one of the chairs, smiling at her timidly. "I haven't seen you properly in over a week, you've been so busy at work so I thought I'd surprise you with a dinner...I, uh, made it myself," he said, standing up and walking over to her.

"Oh Remus," Meredith said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. She walked over to the table and circled it before sitting down. "This is amazing, I can't believe you did all this," she grinned, running her hand over the soft tablecloth and gazing lovingly at the flowered centerpiece.

He joined her at the table, smiling with relief at her reaction. "So, what _have _you been doing at work that's been keeping you so busy?" Lupin said, pouring some wine for the both of them.

"Planning the Quidditch World Cup," Meredith said, taking a large gulp of her wine, enjoying the slight bitterness of it. "Oh, and guess what Ludo told me today?" She paused for effect, then continued, "Hogwarts is going to host the Triwizard Tournament!"

Lupin stared at her in surprise, nearly dropping his fork. It took him a few moments to find his voice. "R-really? Wow, Meredith, that's...amazing. I'll bet Ludo was excited about it."

"Oh yes, he was ecstatic," Meredith said, nodding. "Positively bouncing with joy when he came into my office this morning," she paused, taking a bite of her pasta, "scared the living daylights out of me--Remus this is amazing--but anyway, we spent the rest of the day contacting the Heads of the other schools. We have the World Cup pretty much organized, you know, we just have to wait until the event comes closer, then that will require some more attention."

They spent the rest of the dinner talking about the World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament. Once they had finished dinner and dessert, Lupin was heading for the door when Meredith stopped him. "Now, now, now...I haven't seen you in over a week, you really don't think you can leave that easily," Meredith smiled coyly, standing in front of the door. She grabbed his hand and led him up to the bedroom as quick as she could without tripping over the stairs.

Lupin chuckled, amused by her eagerness. Once they got into her bedroom he cast Silencing charms on the walls, "I wouldn't want your neighbors to hear," he said huskily, kissing her neck and carrying her to the bed.

Meredith pulled out her own wand and reversed the Silencing charm, grinning. "I _want _them to hear," she said breathlessly, tossing her wand onto the bedside table. She stepped out of her dress and laid down on the bed, waiting for him.

"Well, then," Lupin grinned, walking over to the bed, stripping off clothes as he got closer; he was down to his underwear when Meredith let out an impatient hum, watching him move painstakingly slow. He chuckled, obeying her silent command and laying on top of her and crushed his mouth against hers, gliding his tongue against her lips.

Meredith gasped as their tongues met, Lupin's sliding into her mouth and fighting hers for dominance. Together they tore at the remaining clothes on their bodies and sunk into blissful oblivion, aware of nothing else but each other.

* * *

Lupin woke up as the light had just begun to shine through the windows and for a moment he didn't know where he was, then his memory reminded them of the events of the previous night; he grinned in spite of himself. Moving slowly so as to not wake her up, Lupin turned to face her. He watched as her chest moved up and down with a steady rhythm, tracing his finger along the scars on her face, angry blemishes that tarnished an otherwise perfect face. "So young," he said to himself, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. Suddenly he felt ashamed of himself for the previous nights events--sleeping with someone so young, made him feel slightly sick. Sure, Meredith was of age, but only just. Sometimes he couldn't help but think he was robbing her of her youthfulness somehow, like he was depriving her of life experience. Every time he brought this up to her she just told him that he was being ridiculous, but he still felt guilty or responsible. He was ripped from his thoughts when a hand ran across his shoulder gently. He turned his head to the side and smiled at Meredith, who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and attempting to flatten her hair down. "I must say that your morning look is quite amazing," he said teasingly, smiling.

Meredith groaned tiredly, giving up on her hair and leaving it in it's messy state. "It's too early in the morning for your teasing games, Remus," she said, resting her head on his shoulder and yawning. With the air of someone preparing to do something unpleasant, Meredith got up in one swift movement and walked into her bathroom, coming back ten minutes later wrapped in a towel looking more awake. She smiled coyly at Lupin and got dressed quickly, wearing a black pinstripe suit and a red blouse; Meredith had mastered the art of dressing like a Muggle while living with various relatives in England. "Last night was amazing, by the way," she said, aiming to kiss him on the lips, but with a quick jerk of his head she missed and kissed his cheek instead. "What?" She said, sounding concerned.

"It's just...I feel guilty. You're too young, you have too much of your life ahead of you to be with an old man like me," Lupin said quietly, not meeting her eyes but focusing on the hardwood floor.

"Really, Remus? You want to start this same argument again?" Meredith said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It's not an argument, I'm stating a fact! You're eighteen years old! I'm thirty-four!"

Meredith sighed, rolling her eyes. "Remus, you're being ridiculous! I don't care about the age difference. We discussed this when we first got together, remember? _I_ said it doesn't matter to me, and _you _said the same thing. Why are you all of a sudden freaking out about this?" She said tiredly, running her hands through her hair.

"It's...It's wrong! I'm too old for you," Lupin said firmly. "I should never have allowed this to continue."

"Well then, maybe we should just end it now," Meredith said, struggling to keep her lip from quivering with emotion. "I don't understand why you even started this whole thing when you knew it was just going to end up this way." She looked away from him, tears filling her eyes.

Lupin shook his head, walking over to her and reaching for her shoulders but she stepped away from him. "Meredith, I'm sorry," he said.

"Just get out," she said, her voice barely audible. "Just leave...Now." Meredith didn't dare move until she heard the loud crack indicating that Lupin had Disapparated. As soon as she heard that sound she broke down in tears, throwing the nearest object she could reach at the wall with the force of her anger.

After she collected herself she Apparated to the Ministry, hoping no one would notice that she was fifteen minutes late. She was wiping the tears from her eyes when Arthur Weasley entered the lift behind her. He noticed her tears and looked concerned. "Are you all right, Meredith," he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder tentatively.

Startled by the fact that Arthur was speaking to her, she jumped against his hand. "What? Oh...um...Yes, I'm fine. Just um, had a fight with Remus this morning," she said, struggling to keep her voice even. "He's uh, doing the guilt thing again. You know, he says he feels guilty because I'm sixteen years younger than he is. I've told him over and over again that I don't care. But he doesn't listen. He's too...stubborn."

Arthur gave a small, rueful smile. "Remus can be like that sometimes, just...give him some time to get used to everything. He loves you, I know he does," he said compassionately.

"Maybe...he's right, though," Meredith said sadly, "perhaps I should be dating someone younger...someone more my age." She sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm not so sure," Arthur said, "seeing you two together...you were both happy. You completed each other," he smiled again.

Meredith returned the smile, "I hope you're right, Arthur. I really do," she walked out of the lift and into her office. In order to take her mind off of the fight she had with Lupin she completely threw herself into her work planning the Quidditch World Cup, which was surprisingly only three weeks away. Many of the different departments had joined forces with Bagman's in order to expedite planning and constructing the stadium efficiently. That day Meredith had journeyed with Bagman and the other department heads in order to begin construction and casting Muggle-repelling charms around the immediate vicinity.

When Meredith arrived at home there was a rose taped to her door, and a note below it. Smiling slightly, she took the rose in her hand and unfolded the note, nudging her front door open with her foot.

_Meredith, _

_I am so sorry about the way that I acted this morning. _

_Please don't think that it had any reflection on you it's just that...well, it's going to take some getting used to. _

_You need to be patient with me, Meredith. _

_You have no idea how much I love being with you. _

_Will you please find it in your big, wonderful heart to forgive me? _

_Yours forever, _

_Remus_

Grinning and blinking back tears, Meredith set the note down on the countertop and found one of her small vases and stuck the rose inside. Then she walked up to her room and pulled out a spare bit of parchment and hastily scrawled out her response:

_Remus,_

_I just want you to know that you're the worlds biggest git. _

_But I love you anyway. _

_I talked to Arthur Weasley this morning at work and he said that he knows that you love me and that when he saw us together we were happy, that we "completed each other." How cheesy is that?_

_I guess what I'm trying to say is that I forgive you. Sometimes I forget that this is hard for you, this whole relationship. _

_We'll just have to work at it, I suppose. But it's worth it._

_Love always, _

_Meredith_

She stared at the note, her messy scrawl casting drops of ink around the parchment. After staring at it for a few moments she sealed it and brought to her owl, hoping Hamlet would get the note to Lupin before the weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

Although everything was fixed between Lupin and Meredith, the latter had virtually no spare time over the next month, staying at work all night in effort to expedite the planning process for the Quidditch World Cup _and_ the Triwizard Tournament.

Finally the day for the World Cup arrived, and Meredith was up at four in the morning casting last minute repelling charms and helping organize Portkeys and Apparition times for various families. Meredith grinned upon seeing the Weasley name, and asked Bagman if there was any way she could have the day off to spend with them. "Fred, George and Ron are really good friends of mine, and I haven't seen them since I left Hogwarts," she said imploringly, looking up at him with wide doe-eyes.

"Of course dear," he smiled, patting her on the back roughly. "I believe they have already arrived, I can show you their tent, I've wanted a word with Arthur anyway." Together they wound their way through the thousands of Quidditch fans already at the campsite. Meredith yelled Ron's name, seeing a patch of wild red hair amongst the sea of people. She aggressively shoved people out of her way and made her way over to the Weasley family.

"Oy! Meredith!" Ron exclaimed, pushing passed his father and running over to her.

Meredith laughed, having to look up at him because he had grown several inches since she last saw him. "My goodness Ron, how tall are you going to get!" she wrapped her arms around his middle section, resting her head on his shoulder. She released him, wrapping her arms again around Hermione and Harry then shaking Arthur's hand. Once the reunion was done, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Meredith walked to the water spigot and got water for their tents.

Being that Meredith was the only one in the group that was of age and able to do magic she charmed the buckets to never spill, and levitated them about a foot in front of the group, leaving them free to talk casually to the people that they met along the way.

By the time they arrived back at the tent there were five more redheads in front of the tent than before. Meredith recognized three of them as Fred, George and Percy but the other two were unkown to her. The other two were both attractive, but in very different ways. One was tall, with long hair tied in a ponytail and a fang earring with sharp features; the other was shorter, more stocky with muscly scarred arms, slightly long hair and a good-natured face. She was ripped from her observation of the two men when Fred pulled her over to them, saying; "Bill, Charlie, this is Meredith, that girl I was telling you about," he said.

The taller one, Bill, smiled and held out his hand for her to shake; Charlie did the same, and while they were shaking hands a bell went off in Meredith's mind and suddenly she recognized him; he was Quidditch captain for the Gryffindor team the first three years of her education at Hogwarts. Evidently Charlie recognized her too, because after staring at her for a moment he grinned broadly. "Meredith Douglas? I should have known that it was you when Fred was talking about your prowess as a Quidditch player."

Meredith grinned back, pulling him into a hug. Ron watched this all with great confusion, "How d'you know her, Charlie?" He asked.

Charlie broke away from her and smiled again, "She was the youngest person to try out for the Quidditch team when I was captain. She was also the best," he said.

"Oh shut it, Charlie, I wasn't all that great," Meredith said modestly, but there was a proud glint in her eye as she smiled again.

"Oh nonsense, you're being modest," Fred said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "During one game in her Sixth year she scored twenty-one goals all on her own against the best Keeper Ravenclaw has ever seen."

Meredith blushed again, looking away to hide her smile as Charlie whistled appreciatively.

"And didn't Ireland even try to recruit you in your fifth year?" Fred added, seeming to enjoy seeing her embarrassed. Charlie gasped openly this time, his eyes widening.

"It was England, actually," Meredith said quietly, blushing even more. She bit her lip, desperate to change the subject. "So...Charlie, what have you been up to all these years? You look great."

Charlie smiled, "I've been in Romania, studying dragons," he said, sub-consciously running his fingers across the scars on his arms as he spoke. "It's been a lot of fun."

Meredith nodded appreciatively, "That sounds fascinating, I'm glad you got to do that, I remember you talking about it during Quidditch practice." She smiled.

"Oh yes, it's really fascinating," Charlie said, "we've got a few nesting mothers for the, uh...future, you know." He looked at her pointedly, knowing she was in on planning the Triwizard Tournament.

Meredith looked at him, confused for a moment, when the realization of what he had said dawned on her. "Wha--Oh! Oh, my God! Really? That's...Wow, I knew they were planning something but...nesting mothers?" She stared at him in shock, jaw open in surprise.

"It's true," Charlie said, grinning at her reaction, as well as the puzzled looks from Fred and George. "It's going to be...quite a spectacle. And I assume you're going to go and...watch?"

"Oh yeah, definitely, I wouldn't miss it for all the Galleons in the world," Meredith said, now amused by Fred and George's reactions.

Meredith and Charlie spent the rest of the day preceding the match tantalizing Fred and George with vague allusions to the Triwizard Tournament. "Well, as much as I'd love to stay and talk more about the...dragons," she paused, smirking at George, "I have to go meet Ludo at the Top Box and help with the last minute details, I'll see you all later at the match," she clapped Charlie on the back, before sauntering out of the tent.

Meredith was sitting in one of the front row seats in the Top Box, holding her head up with one of her hands, half-asleep when Charlie and the rest of the Weasley family came in. Her head jerked up when Charlie and Bill plopped themselves in the chairs beside her. "Fred and George are going absolutely insane," Charlie whispered, bending his head towards hers, "Bill and I kept going on about it after you left."

"Come now, Meredith, I want to introduce you to some wizards," Bagman said, beckoning her with his hand.

Meredith smiled at Bagman, standing up, rolling her eyes at Charlie as he turned his back. "Hello," she said cordially, being introduced to the Bulgarian prime minister. He nodded politely, seeming to have no understanding of the English language. Meredith saw this, then she began to speak in rapid Bulgarian, grinning broadly when the minister laughed out loud. Bagman watched, a surprised look on his face.

"I didn't know you knew Bulgarian, Meredith," Bagman looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What else haven't you told me?"

After shooting a meaningful look at Hermione, she smiled. "I also speak French, Italian, German, Arabic and Japanese," she said.

"My goodness," Bagman said, astonished. He continued introducing her to a lot of foreign wizards, many of whom spoke a foreign language that Meredith managed to understand. While she was immersed in a conversation with an Italian wizard she didn't notice another family of wizards come in. "Do you know the Malfoys, Meredith? I believe you went to school with their son, Draco?" He said, pulling her by the arm away from her previous conversation.

Meredith's voice died in her throat as Lucius Malfoy's condescending stare met Meredith's eyes. "Y-Yeah, I played against Draco in Quidditch while I was at Hogwarts, but I don't know the rest of the family," she said, avoiding eye contact with Lucius.

"Well, this is his father Lucius," he said, pointing to him, "and this is his mother Narcissa." Neither one of them made a move to shake hands, so Meredith gave each of them a small nod and fixed her steely eyes upon Lucius, who was regarding Meredith with a puzzled expression as though he recognized her but couldn't place who she was.

Finally a note of comprehension flashed across his face, and he stepped back, visibly shaken. "But you're supposed to be...you're supposed to be dead," Lucius said, staring at her as if she had three heads.

Meredith raised her eyebrow and smirked, "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lucius. I hope you enjoy the match," she said cordially, walking back over to her seat and rejoining Bill and Charlie's conversation.

"What was all that about?" Arthur said, leaning forward in his seat and speaking directly into her ear.

"I'll explain later," she said, ignoring Harry's questioning look, instead focusing intently on the program Hermione had lent her. "Oh, by the way," she leaned over to Charlie, "I met the Bulgarian team, they're all a bunch of gits. Viktor Krum is all right, once he realized that I could speak Bulgarian he warmed up a bit. The Irish team is really nice, though," she smirked.

"You met _Krum?" _Ron said, his voice rising in excitement.

Meredith turned around, smiling at Ron; she forgot that he practically worshipped the ground that Krum walked on. "Oh yeah, I've met all of them. Working for Ludo Bagman has it's advantages," she winked at him, turning around and facing the field, reading the different advertisements that were dancing across the scoreboard.

Bagman stood up, pointing his wand at his throat, muttering a spell and all of a sudden his voice was booming across the stadium. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to the four-hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup! And now, without any more delay, I am proud to present the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

There was a roar from the crowd, and Meredith sat up higher in her chair and smirked, "Veela, of course." She looked over at Charlie, who was pressing his Omnioculars tightly against his eyes, then to Bill, who had actually stepped forward, pressing his hands and face against the glass. "Men," she rolled her eyes, smirking at Hermione and Ginny, who shook their heads.

After the Irish National Mascots, the leprechauns, did their show, the match finally began. Meredith pressed her Omnioculars against her eyes, trying to keep up with the incredible speed and precision of the Irish Chasers. Within the first few minutes they scored three times, working with seamless precision that Meredith wished she could have seen the Gryffindor Chasers have.

"Oh my God, Krum must have seen the Snitch!" She exclaimed, gripping Charlie's arm tightly. Moments later, however, she cringed, biting her lip. "Poor Lynch, he should have known Krum was feinting," she said, shaking her head as she watched the mediwizards revive the unconscious Aidan Lynch.

Ten minutes later the incredible precision of the Irish Chasers paid off, and they pulled ahead with ten more goals. "See Meredith! You could totally have played professionally!" Fred shouted, watching the Irish Chasers score again. Meredith smirked, caught up in the excitement of the game as Krum went into a dive once more. "I don't think he's feinting," Meredith said quietly, watching the look of steely determination on his face. Sure enough, the Bulgarian supporters roared loudly as Krum held his hand up and she could see the tiny golden Snitch fluttering in his hand. "Ireland still won!" Meredith yelled triumphantly, forgetting herself and hugging Charlie tightly. "The Irish Chasers were too good for the Bulgarians to catch up!" Charlie returned the hug, pumping his fist into the air triumphantly.

"And here they are, the Bulgarians!" Ludo said over the roar of the fans as the Bulgarian Quidditch team came stomping into the Top Box. Meredith smiled at Krum, nodding slightly. After the Bulgarians made their exit the Irish team came in, Lynch being carried in by two of his teammates. After Bagman presented them with the Cup, Meredith cheered loudly, grinning at Charlie.

"My God!" Charlie said when they all entered the tent, making their way through the crowd. "That was an incredible match!"

Meredith nodded, a grin still plastered on her face. "I just wish I could fly _half_ as well as Troy and Moran...I definitely would have tried out for the English team, or maybe Scotland," she said, spinning the Omnioculars in her hand.

They stayed up late into the night, reliving every single detail of the match; Ron described Viktor Krum's flying with a little too much passion, and now everyone was making fun of him, accusing him of being in love with Krum. At long last everyone went into their separate tents, Meredith conjuring a campbed from thin air in the girls' tent and setting it up by Hermione.

Within minutes Meredith fell into a blissful, dreamless sleep; it seemed like she had just laid her head down when Arthur came running into the tent. "Come, girls! You have to get out of here! Ginny, Hermione, go with Fred into the forest, get away from here! Come with us Meredith, we need your help." Arthur said all of this quickly, a wild eyed look on his face.

Meredith got up, threw jeans on underneath her silk nightgown and ran out of the tent after Arthur. "What's happen--" her sentence died in her throat as she stared up in horror at the sight before her: four Muggles suspended in the air, screaming in terror as a large group of wizards in masks and black cloaks pointed their wands at them, laughing hysterically.

Charlie pulled her out of her state of shock by pulling her out of the way of a hex fired in her direction. "We have to stop them," he yelled over the noise.

"All right," she yelled back, standing back up and hurling a curse back at the wizards in black. Meredith ran with him, throwing curses at every cloaked wizard she could reach, keeping her eye on the Muggles in the air, making sure they didn't fall to the ground. Everyone was so engrossed in the battle that for a few moments they didn't see the Dark Mark soar into the air; soon after everyone turned to stare, screams of terror coming from everyone, including the ones in cloaks. Slowly they began to disappear, the Muggles starting to lose height until one of the children started to free-fall; Meredith pushed through the crowd, catching the child just as he was about to hit the ground. Meredith helped the Ministry get the rest of the Muggles down safely, then walked back to the Weasley tent which had managed to stay intact. Bill was bleeding profusely from a cut in his arm and Percy had a nosebleed; Charlie was unharmed, though it looked like he had been up for five days.

Meredith grabbed a sheet from the bed and pressed it against the wound on Bill's arm. "Who the hell were those people?" She looked at him, silently pleading for answers.

He was spared from answering her when Arthur and the rest of the kids came into the tent, all of them looking winded. "Did you get whoever conjured the Mark, Dad?" Bill said tersely, pressing the sheet tighter on his arm.

Whatever the answer was, Meredith didn't hear it; there was a sharp pain in her stomach, searing through her like a white-hot blade. Gritting her teeth, she looked down and saw that her silk nightdress was soaked in blood. She grabbed her sweater from the chair and wrapped it around herself quickly, hoping no one would notice; she didn't need to draw attention to herself right at that moment; she waited until Arthur and Bill finished explaining what they had just seen. Meredith fought hard to master her pain and pay attention to what Arthur was saying: something about Death Eaters and Voldemort and the Dark Mark; now Ron was saying something about Lucius Malfoy and his son. Meredith blinked several times, making a physical effort to remain focused, but her mind wasn't letting her; it was focusing on the pain, and she began to lose consciousness. Before she could cry out, the pain consumed her and she fell to the floor, her arms still wrapped around her stomach. The last thing she heard before she completely lost consciousness was Charlie crying out in alarm.


	3. Chapter 3

"Is-Is she all right?" Lupin's concerned voice drifted into Meredith's mind as she slowly regained consciousness. Summoning all of the strength she had left, she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings; she was no longer inside Arthur's magnificent tent, which meant she was no longer at the Quidditch World Cup. Looking beyond Lupin's face she saw bright lights and white walls, which for her could only mean one thing: St. Mungo's. But she couldn't remember how she got there. When Meredith searched her memory the only thing she could come up with was a white hot slash of pain in her stomach, and everything going dark.

"What's going on? Where am I?" Meredith squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, and everything came into focus. Next to Lupin was Charlie and Bill, and standing at the foot of her bed was Arthur and Molly. No one seemed to know how to answer her question, until after an eternity of silence Arthur spoke up.

"Meredith, what's the last thing you remember before you passed out?" Arthur said quietly, looking at her as though she was about to die.

"Uh," Meredith searched her memory. "I remember...a big group of people...in cloaks and masks...explosions...Muggles floating in the air...fire...everyone was running...The...Dark Mark. I was dueling one of the cloaked men when he...cursed me and...and that's all I remember."

"You don't remember hearing what incantation he spoke?" Charlie asked urgently, while Lupin just sat there looking devastated.

Meredith shook her head slowly, "No, everything was too loud. I couldn't tell what he said. Why?"

"Because, the Healers...they can't make the wound stop bleeding. Nothing they've tried is working. They kept pouring Blood Replenishing Potion down your throat, but it's just making it worse. They don't know what's wrong with you," Arthur said, his hand wrapped tightly around Molly's.

"What's going to happen?" Meredith asked, reaching her hand across the bed to grip Lupin's tightly.

"There's...one spell they haven't tried yet but, there are risks attached to it," Lupin said, "they wanted to wait until you were conscious before they attempted it; they needed us to explain to you what was going to happen if they were to perform the spell."

"Well, what is it?" Meredith said, squeezing his hand tighter out of nerves.

"They didn't tell us what it was called, just that it would most likely stop the bleeding if they performed it," Arthur supplied, pursing his lips together. "But there are...some side effects."

"What side effects? Just tell me," Meredith said irritably.

"They said that since the wound is on your stomach that...the effects of the spell would...most likely make you unable to have children, and you'd have a scar if you, er," Arthur paused, looking away from her.

"If I what? If I survive?" Meredith said, her voice shaking. When Arthur nodded, Meredith audibly gasped. "Are you saying that I might not make it?"

"There's a chance that the magic will be...too much for your body to handle," Arthur said, "but the Healers are confident that you will be able to handle it. They just wanted to make sure that...you knew the risks going into it."

Meredith bit her lip, staring from Arthur to Lupin and Molly. She was careful to avoid Charlie's eyes; he seemed to be smitten with her, and she didn't want to deal with that at the moment. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke. "I want them to do it," she said firmly.

Arthur pursed his lips, then nodded. "All right, I'll go get the Healers and let them know," he said before leaving the room.

"Can I have a few minutes with Remus...alone, please?" Meredith looked around the room, her eyes skipping over Charlie's and looking straight at Molly, who nodded at once and escorted Bill and Charlie out of the room. Once the door had shut, Meredith turned to Lupin and smiled weakly. "At least I'm alive, right?" She said wryly.

Lupin looked at her with a frown, the lines on his face seemed to be more pronounced. "I can't believe you're agreeing to do this," he said seriously, shaking his head. "Letting them use a spell on you that can kill you."

Meredith snorted derisively, "I'm going to die either way, Remus. Whether it be by that spell or blood loss. I can't keep drinking that potion forever. Not being able to have children is a small price to pay for my life, I think."

"Is it though? You mean that you could deal with that...not being able to have children?" Lupin said quietly, his voice low.

"I didn't really plan on having kids anyway, to be honest with you. It's not like I could bring myself to give birth to a child if he or she was going to be...like us," Meredith said seriously, struggling to keep her voice even.

Lupin nodded sadly, squeezing her hand tightly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I'm just...I'm glad you're here, I'm glad you're alive," he said.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Remus," Meredith smirked, lifting his hand to her mouth and kissing it. "I'm here to stay, no matter what."

Lupin smiled, then the Healers entered the room. "I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave while we work with her," the taller Healer said, her voice slow and gently. Lupin nodded, kissing her forehead before leaving the room.

After an eternity waiting the Healer came into the waiting room, his face inscrutable. He approached the group with his jaw clenched tight. He stared at them for a moment before saying, "She's going to be fine, she's resting but you can go ahead and go see her."

Before anyone else could get up from their chairs Lupin had already gone down the hallway to Meredith's room. "Remus, darling, I'm so glad to see you," she said tiredly, her voice hoarse.

Lupin smiled, walking over to the side of the bed and pulling a chair up to her bedside. "How are you feeling?" He clasped her small, frail hand between his.

"Exhausted. I feel like I just fought off about six hundred dementors," Meredith smiled weakly, propping herself up on her elbows. She reached for a glass of water on the table next to her and drank from it greedily. "The Healers want me to stay here for the night, but I think if I annoy them enough they'll let me leave tonight."

Lupin laughed out loud, kissing her hand softly. "I think you should stay, I could come and get you tomorrow morning," he said.

Meredith groaned, laying back down on the uncomfortable hospital bed. "Fine," she lifted up her shirt to examine the scar, which was about a quarter-inch wide and went from the top of her right hip to her left like she had been gutted. "Damn, that's a bad one," she pursed her lips, tracing it with her fingers.

Lupin sighed, running his hand across her stomach. "Well, I should go...there's a whole waiting room full of people who want to see you," he kissed her and left the room, and before the door could swing shut Charlie slid in.

"Hey there Charlie," Meredith smiled and sat back up in the bed, propping pillows behind her back.

"I'm so sorry Meredith, I should have been with you last night," he said quietly, sitting in the chair Lupin had just vacated.

"Oh Charlie, you can't talk like that. A lot was happening that night, and you couldn't have done anything about it," Meredith said, wrapping her arms around her stomach tightly. "Besides, I'm completely fine. I'm alive," she slid her hand up his arm and gripped his shoulder.

"But I should have...been looking out for you," Charlie said.

"Charlie, there's nothing you need to feel guilty for," Meredith said, tilting his head up and forcing him to look at her. "Like I said, I'm alive and well, and so are you."

Charlie searched Meredith's eyes, searching her gray irises for any sign of insincerity. After a moment he smiled, "Fred and George are still asking me about what we were saying about the dragons," he said.

"Oh yeah? I'm sure they'll be excited about it. Sucks about canceling Quidditch though, they'll be upset about that," she said.

"Well, considering what they're giving it up for, I'm sure they won't mind very much," Charlie laughed, taking her hand in his and squeezing it.

Meredith smiled, squeezing his hand back. "I suppose you're right," she yawned loudly, covering her mouth with her free hand. "If you don't mind, Charlie, I'd like to get some sleep now."

Charlie nodded, squeezing her hand again before getting up and leaving the room. Much to her chagrin, Arthur and Molly came in with Bill, all of them wanting to pump her for information about things that she didn't know: what spell she heard the wizard who attacked her say, if she recognized anyone in the robes. Finally she ushered them out of her room and fell asleep as soon as Bill shut the door.


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't take a day off, Remus, I've got to get to work! This thing with the Dark Mark at the World Cup is causing all sorts of trouble, Ludo needs me there," Meredith said as she pulled a dress on over her head and stepping into a pair of heels.

"Meredith, you were seriously injured...you spent the night in the hospital...you could have died! I think that warrants a day off," Lupin protested, following her into the bathroom.

"I know I could have died Remus, but so could thousands of other people!" Meredith said, pausing to apply mascara on her eyelashes. "The Ministry's going crazy at the moment, and they need as much help as they can get...I'll see you later tonight," she said before Apparating to the Ministry.

The scene that greeted her as she walked onto her floor was one of absolute chaos; wizards running back and forth between offices, random fires breaking out on the desks from unopened Howlers. "Meredith! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at St. Mungo's?" Bagman said, startled by her presence in his office.

"What? No, I checked out this morning," Meredith said, "I figured the Ministry needed all the help they could get. What do you need me to do?"

"Well," Bagman looked around his office, shuffling papers around on his desk, "we still need to finish the last minute details of the Triwizard Tournament, if you wouldn't mind taking that over so I can focus on this World Cup fiasco."

"All right," Meredith grabbed a stack of papers from the monstrous pile on his desk and situated herself in her own office for the day. She returned several hours later with her hair partially singed and soot on her face. "I never really got the hang of talking in the fireplace," she pushed her hair out of her eyes and set the papers back down on Bagman's desk. "Pretty much everything is taken care of, all we need to do is show up at Hogwarts with the rest of the delegation on September first."

Bagman smiled gratefully, putting his hand over his heart. "I don't know what I'd do without you," he said, "this whole thing with the World Cup has gotten everyone working overtime."

Meredith smiled back, "I'm sure you would have done fine, Ludo. Now...is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"No, I think we're all good here for the day, we've only got six weeks until the Triwizard Tournament, best be prepared for it," he smiled, shuffling papers around on his desk.

"All right, Ludo, I'll see you on Monday," Meredith said, tipping her hat to him before walking out of his office. She was twirling her wand between her fingers in the lift when Arthur Weasley pulled her out of her trance by clearing his throat loudly. "Oh! Hey Arthur," Meredith said casually.

Arthur smiled, "I see you're feeling better today," he said.

"It wasn't as bad as it looked, Arthur, really," Meredith said, shrugging, "I also thought Ludo could use the extra help today, so I finished organizing the Triwizard Tournament for him."

"Between that and the World Cup it must have been stressful," Arthur commented. "How's the Auror training coming along?"

"Good, its great. Kingsley's sort of taken me under his wing, and he's showing me the ropes and teaching me, I'm his protégée of sorts," Meredith smiled, "he says I'm doing well."

"Kingsley's a great guy," Arthur nodded, "listen, I wanted to ask you something. What was Lucius Malfoy talking about, when he said you should be dead?"

Meredith's smile dropped, her eyes widening slightly. "Oh, um...that was nothing. I don't know what he was talking about. Must've thought I was someone else," she said, trying to sound casual. "I'll see you around, Arthur," she shook his hand and made her way out onto the street.

"Wait! Meredith, there's something else," Arthur shouted, running to catch up with her. "Molly wants me to invite you to the Burrow for dinner," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"What? Tonight?" Meredith looked surprised, her brow furrowed. "Right now?"

"Yes, tonight, right now," he said, nodding. "Bill and Charlie are still here. I think she thinks that she can fix you up with one of them," he chuckled, smiling slightly.

Meredith smiled back, "She obviously still doesn't like the whole me being with Remus thing," she bounced from one foot to the other, thinking for a moment. "All right, give me twenty-five minutes," she said, Disapparating to her apartment to change out of her work clothes which had the faint odor of singed hair and fabric. After putting on a decidedly more casual outfit--jeans and a black t-shirt--she Apparated onto the front steps of the Burrow, where Arthur was waiting to greet her.

"Tread lightly, she's not being particularly subtle with Charlie," Arthur whispered, putting his hand on her shoulder and guiding her inside the house.

Meredith smirked, "I'm prepared," she said, ruffling her hair out of nerves.

"Oh, Meredith darling! So good of you to come," Molly exclaimed, taking her by the arm and bringing her to the table where the only open seat was conveniently in between Charlie and Bill.

Fighting back a strong urge to roll her eyes, Meredith smiled and sat down between them. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, reaching for the glass in front of her and drinking whatever was inside it. "Pumpkin juice," she muttered.

Bill leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. "We tried to stop her, but once she gets going," Bill shook his head, "she's impossible."

Meredith chuckled, "Which one of you is she trying to fix me up with?"

"Me, I think," Charlie said, "Ron kept going on and on about how well we got along at the World Cup," he smiled, pushing the food around on his plate with his fork.

"Oy, Ron," Meredith shook her head, glaring down the table at him. "I don't see why she can't accept the fact that Remus and I are together. I mean, everyone else has."

Bill shrugged, "I think she's just surprised...y'know, maybe you two should have waited until you were out of Hogwarts for more than a month before going all out in the open," he suggested, smirking.

Meredith chuckled, "Maybe you're right," she said, nodding.

The rest of the dinner was an incredibly awkward affair, Molly trying to spark conversation between Meredith and Charlie, hoping that the tenth time she heard the story of his narrow escape from a particularly vicious dragon during his first year of studying in Romania would awaken her feelings for him and make her realize how 'in love' with him she was. "Charlie why don't you show Meredith the garden," Molly suggested, smiling warmly.

Charlie looked at Meredith, tilting his head slightly. "How about it?" He held his arm out to her, fighting the urge to smile.

"All right," Meredith put her arm through his and walked out into the night air with him. Once they were clear of the house she busted out laughing, "She sure isn't being all that subtle, is she?"

Charlie shook his head as they walked along the fence. "No, she's not," he said, "you should have heard her before you got here; 'Charlie, tuck in your shirt! Smarten up! Wash your hair!' It was horrible."

Meredith laughed loudly, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. "Well, Charlie, in her defense you did look very nice with your shirt tucked in," she said, smiling.

Charlie's ears turned pink, much like Ron's when he was under pressure or experienced embarrassment. He cleared his throat loudly and smiled, "Thanks," he said, "um, how are things...between you and Remus?"

It was Meredith's turn to blush; after busying herself with tying her shoe, she stood up and spoke. "Things are...," she hesitated, "great."

Charlie noticed her hesitation and called her out on it. "When you're ready to give me an honest answer I'm standing right here," he said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I mean it, Charlie. Things are fine between Remus and I," Meredith said firmly, as if she was trying to convince herself of what she was saying. After a moment she sighed, "All right, things aren't so great. It's so hot and cold; one moment he's in love with me and its amazing, but the next he's feeling guilty and trying to distance himself from me. It's so frustrating. One moment he's planning these romantic dinners and surprising me and the next day he's feeling guilty and saying how he never should have allowed it to continue and I have too much of my life ahead of me to want to be with an 'old man' like him. And no matter what I say to convince him otherwise, he tells me that I don't know what I'm saying." She shook her head, grinding her teeth together in frustration. "Sorry, I don't mean to whine at you like this," she chuckled.

Charlie smiled encouragingly, giving her a one-armed hug with the arm he already had around her shoulder. "Its fine, Meredith," he said, "but maybe you should talk to Remus again, y'know, make him understand."

Meredith groaned, "But I have already! Like, a million times. I've explained to him how I feel and that I don't care but he won't listen! He just keeps telling me that I don't know what I'm talking about," she rolled her eyes and shook her head again. "I'm starting to wonder, y'know, maybe he's right. Maybe he and I shouldn't be together, it's just causing so many...problems." She pulled away from him and leaned on the fence, pinching the bridge of her nose and taking a deep breath to keep herself from crying.

Unsure of what to do for her, Charlie sat next to her and once again put his arm around her shoulder and waited for her to speak. "I just...I have no idea what to do here, Charlie. I love him and all, but if he's this opposed to the relationship," she shook her head and took a shaky breath, trying to regain her composure.

"I don't know what to tell you Meredith," Charlie said honestly, "but no matter what happens, I'll be here for you." He squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

Meredith smiled, "Thank you, Charlie, you're a good friend," she patted his knee and got up off the fence and made her way back to the house.

"Good friend," Charlie muttered to himself, shaking his head as he followed her back to the house.

"Thank you for the great dinner, Molly, I had a wonderful time. I'll see you at work on Monday, Arthur," she waved at him and said her goodbyes to Bill and the twins, giving Charlie one last hug before Disapparating to her apartment where, to her immense surprise, Lupin was waiting in her living room.

"God! You _have_ to stop trying to scare me like that," Meredith had her hand over her heart.

Lupin chuckled, pushing himself off of her couch and walking over to her. "I'm sorry," he said, wrapping his arms around her, "I always forget how paranoid you are."

"I'm not paranoid. I'm _vigilant_," Meredith countered, smirking, "which is a good quality for an Auror to have." She made a futile attempt to hide her yawn behind her hand and smiled. "Well, Professor, it is quite late, I wouldn't want to be caught out after curfew and get in trouble," she winked at him and walked up to her bedroom, falling asleep with her dinner clothes still on.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, thanks for reading and for the reviews! I love to read them! Sorry it's been a while since I updated, things have been a little hectic lately planning my future and all that. Hah. Anyway, as always, please review and if you have a question or suggestion or anything please don't hesitate to send me a message :)


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next three weeks the Weasleys had Meredith over for dinner nearly every night, and each night Molly was getting less and less subtle about how she and Charlie would make a better couple than her and Lupin. On the last day of the summer holidays Molly abandoned all pretense and actually vocalized her thoughts while Meredith was helping her with dinner.

"Don't get me wrong, darling, Remus is a lovely man, he really is. But he's so much older than you, you've got different priorities, you can't honestly tell me you two don't fight," Molly said, busying herself with a pot of stew.

Meredith sighed and took her frustration out on the celery, chopping it with a frenzied annoyance. After a moment she spoke in an even if not somewhat cold tone of voice, "Molly, Remus and I are fine, it's nothing to get worked up about."

Molly charmed the pot of stew and levitated it to the middle of the table where it rested comfortably between a basket of bread and a pitcher of butterbeer. "I'm just saying, you and Charlie look great together. I've seen the way he looks at you," she said, smiling.

Meredith smiled in spite of herself, grabbing sets of silverware and plates from the cupboards. "I've seen it too," she said, her smile growing.

Luckily the uncomfortable conversation was interrupted when Fred, George, Ron and Harry came into the kitchen and hauled Meredith outside to play three-on-three Quidditch. The game was put to a halt when Molly hollered for them to get inside and get washed up for dinner. "Nice feint out there, Harry," Meredith said as they all sat down around the dinner table.

"Thanks Meredith," Harry said, pouring stew into his bowl and breaking off a piece of bread. "I can't wait to use it this year against the Slytherins," he said, smiling.

Meredith shot a meaningful look at Charlie, Arthur and Percy, pursing her lips together. "I bet they'll be surprised," she said vaguely, drinking her butterbeer to hide her grin.

Charlie laughed at Meredith's feeble attempt to hide her grin and nudged her with his shoulder and pointed with his head toward the other end of the table, where Percy was going on and on about Mr. Crouch. He rolled his eyes obviously and mimicked strangling himself.

Meredith grinned broadly and winked at him, clearing her throat to catch Percy's attention. "Excuse me, Weatherby, will you pass the bread please?" She said innocently.

Fred and George choked on their Butterbeer and Arthur had to work very hard to hide his smile. Percy ears went pink but he passed the bread to her wordlessly. Meredith grinned again, pouring herself another cup of butterbeer. "You're terrible," Charlie whispered as he leaned over to grab bread.

"Yes, but you love it," Meredith whispered back, trying to ignore Molly's stare.

Charlie's ears went pink and he nodded imperceptibly. "I do," he said seriously, staring at the near-empty pitcher of butterbeer as though he was afraid of looking directly at her.

Meredith seemed to pick up on the underlying meaning in his words and blushed, knocking her cup over with a shaking hand. "Oy, Meredith!" Bill exclaimed, jumping up from his chair just in time to miss having butterbeer in his lap.

"Oh goodness, Bill I'm sorry!" Meredith stood up and siphoned the butterbeer off the table with her wand and getting the little that was spilt on his chair. She avoided Charlie's eyes as she sat down, focusing purposely on her food, speaking very little for the rest of the dinner.

"Walk with me?" Charlie put his hand on her back and spoke into her ear, leading her toward the door.

Meredith nodded and allowed him to lead her outside and to the fence where they took their first walk three weeks ago. Once they were far enough away from the house, Meredith sat down underneath a large tree. She looked up at Charlie and smiled, "Dinner was nice tonight," she said, trying to be casual.

"It was," Charlie nodded, sitting down next to her. He put one of his arms around her shoulder and took his other hand and tilted her face so she was forced to look directly at him. They stared at each other for a few moments until Charlie leaned in and kissed her.

Meredith kissed him back, her arms wrapped around him, one hand at the small of his back and the other on his shoulder. Slowly she came to her senses, and pulled away from him. "Wait, no," she shook her head, standing up and looking worried. "That was...we shouldn't have."

"Oh god, Meredith, I'm sorry," Charlie said, biting his lip nervously. "It just...I don't know what happened," he supplied lamely, looking distressed.

Meredith shook her head again, sitting down next to him. "No, you don't need to be sorry," she said, putting a comforting hand on his knee. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath before speaking, "I kissed you back, so its kind of my fault, too."

"What are you going to do about Remus?" He said, tilting his head and examining her face as if she was some kind of alien life form.

Meredith smirked at him, rolling her eyes at the look on his face. "Nothing," she shrugged casually, "I'm not going to tell him anything. He'll only...he'd make a huge production out of it and it's not really that big of a deal. It was a kiss, it was nothing."

Charlie nodded, frowning slightly. "All right," he said, standing up and stalking off towards the Burrow.

"Wait, Charlie!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him back to her. "What's the matter?"

"It was _nothing_?" Charlie said, a mixture of hurt and anger on his face. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, "Are you really telling me that you feel nothing for me?" He stared into her eyes, scanning them for some kind of reaction to what he said.

Meredith turned her head away from him, closing her eyes to avoid looking directly at his face. She took a deep breath and after a moment turned her head back and stared at him resolutely, "It's not that, Charlie. I...Its just...complicated."

"Because of Remus?" Charlie guessed, arching his eyebrows and giving her a small smile. "No, its fine. I get it." He put his hand on her shoulder and started off toward the house again.

Meredith caught up to him again, putting her hands on his shoulder to stop him. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you, it's just that...," she sighed, pursing her lips together and spoke again. "I like you, Charlie. A lot. But...," she let go of him and put her hand to her forehead, exhausted.

"No really, Meredith, I understand," Charlie said honestly, "I do. In case you haven't noticed: I like you a lot, too," he looked back at the house and smiled. "But you need to make a choice, and when you make that choice," he twirled his hand in the air, pantomiming writing, "send me an owl." Before she could respond he walked back into the house.

Meredith stood there for a few moments, staring at the window of Charlie's bedroom before Disapparating back to her apartment. _Charlie...Remus...Charlie._ Their names floated around in her head as she walked through her apartment, thankful that for the first time in about a week that Lupin wasn't there. After a few hours of trying to get herself to fall asleep she gave up and made herself a pot of coffee and stayed up for the rest of the night, keeping in mind that tomorrow was September 1, and she wanted to see Harry and Ron off.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie hugged Ginny just as she was about to get onto the train, "You may be seeing us sooner than you think," he winked at her, patting her on the shoulder and guiding her onto the Hogwarts Express.

"One year too old, I can't believe it," Meredith shook her head, staring wistfully at the train, enjoying the final moments of being able to torture Fred and George before Dumbledore would tell them about the Triwizard Tournament.

"I know, I almost wish I could be back there this year," Bill said, smirking. "I might take some time off and go watch some of it."

"Some of what?" Fred yelled, sticking his head out of the compartment window as the train began to pull away from the platform. "What are you talking about?"

Meredith smirked, amused by the confused expression on Fred's face. "They're going to be so surprised," she said, sticking her hands in her pockets and watching the train vanish completely.

"They're not of age yet, though, so they won't be able to compete," Bill said, "they turn seventeen in April."

"Oh no, that's too bad," Meredith said, shaking her head sympathetically. She pulled her wand out and prepared to Apparate back to her apartment, "I'll see you at Hogwarts for the Tournament," she winked at Charlie before turning on the spot, landing roughly in the living room of her apartment.

"Went and saw the children off?" Lupin smiled, leaning against the wall beside her television.

"Oy! I thought I told you to stop trying to scare me," Meredith glared, but her tone suggested playfulness. She smiled, sitting down on her couch, "Yeah I did. I just wish I could be there and see their faces when Dumbledore tells them about the Tournament."

"When do you go to the school with Ludo?" Lupin sat down next to her on the couch.

"At the end of the month, I'm going to stay in Hogsmeade. I've got a room at the Leaky Cauldron for the whole tournament," said Meredith tiredly, rubbing her eyes. She looked over at Lupin and smiled, "you should come and stay with me and watch some of the Tournament! It's going to be wicked."

Lupin smiled, "What kind of tasks are planned?" he asked.

"Well," she paused, biting her lip. "I suppose I can tell you...The first task is dragons. The champions have to steal a golden egg from a nesting mother dragon. The golden egg contains a clue for the second task, where the champions have to swim into the lake and take back whatever it is that the merpeople are guarding. The final task is a giant maze with the Cup at the center, and the first champion that gets there wins," Meredith finished, waving her arms around in a tired flourish.

"Wow," Lupin nodded appreciatively. "And they've imposed an age restriction so that no one under seventeen is allowed to enter, right?"

"Of course," Meredith nodded, curling up into a ball on the couch.

Lupin chuckled as he put his hand on her shoulder and massaged her back. "Late night at the Weasleys?" He smiled and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

Meredith made a noise in the affirmative, closing her eyes and resting her head in his lap. Thoughts of the previous night and of the kiss she shared with Charlie floated around in her head as she fell asleep with Lupin stroking her hair.

When she woke up many hours later she was in her bed and under her blankets. She smiled and made her way to her living room to watch the evening news. "Nothing new," she murmured as she turned the television off.

_"In case you haven't noticed: I like you a lot, too. But you need to make a choice, and when you make that choice...send me an owl."_

Charlie's words echoed in her ears as she ran her fingers across the scars she acquired during the night of Sirius Black's escape; most were from when she had to fight to keep Lupin away from Harry and the others. The scar on her face was just as conspicuous that day as it was when she first got it. The scar across her arm had faded a bit; but it still stood out against her pale skin, almost looking like someone had taken a marker and dragged it across her arm.

"I'm starting to look like Mad-Eye Moody," she muttered, "I just hope I don't get as paranoid as he is in twenty years."

"As long as you don't lose one of your eyes, I think you'll be all right," a familiar voice drifted in from the dark hallway.

Acting on instinct, Meredith grabbed her wand and threw a Stunning spell in the direction of the disembodied voice. The voice muttered a Shield Charm and stepped into the light; it was Charlie. He was grinning, his wand pointed in her direction. "Well, you're certainly on your way to becoming as paranoid as him."

Meredith gritted her teeth, "What are you doing here?" Her wand was still pointed at his chest. "More importantly: I locked my door, how did you get in here?"

Charlie held his arms up in a gesture of surrender, returning his wand to his pants pocket. "Your door _wasn't_ locked, whoever was here last left it open. And I'm here because, well...," he paused, suddenly looking bashful. "I wanted to see you."

Meredith smiled in spite of herself and she set her wand back onto the vanity. "That's really sweet of you Charlie, but you can't break into my apartment like this," she said.

"First of all, I didn't break in. Your front door was open. Second," he stepped forward, minimizing the space between them. His face was hovering inches above hers as he slid his arm around her waist.

"Charlie," she said weakly, putting her hands on his forearms and feebly trying to push him away. His arms tightened around her, completely closing the distance between them. And before she could blink twice Charlie's lips crashed onto hers and he was kissing her with so much passion and intensity that he lifted her off the ground.

And Meredith was kissing him back with just as much passion, her arms wrapped around him tightly, lost in oblivion. Careful not to break the kiss, she led him blindly into her bedroom and fell with him onto the mattress. He smiled against her lips, slowly slipping his hands underneath her shirt. This seemed to wake her senses and she broke the kiss, sitting up and staring at him in shock, struggling to find her own voice. "I...um, should lock the door," she stammered, wriggling out of Charlie's arms and sprinting to the door.

Charlie followed Meredith into the hallway, glancing at the pictures she had put up on the wall. The first picture was of a small child no older than four riding a toy broomstick, laughing as she passed in and out of the frame; Charlie could only assume that it was Meredith in the picture. The next was a family portrait, Meredith looked about seven years old standing between her two parents, statuesque and pretentious-looking individuals. The third and final picture Charlie recognized Meredith's mother standing next to a much younger-looking Lucius Malfoy. "Your parents were friends with the Malfoys?" Charlie asked, surprised.

"Huh? Oh yeah, my mother was," Meredith nodded, waving her hand dismissively at the picture. "They went to Hogwarts together, they were in the same year, best friends growing up. She even joined the Death Eaters when he did. But everything changed when she got pregnant with me. She realized that...she didn't want to bring a child into the world where the things that they did were considered normal. So...when I was eight we fled and managed to stay hidden in Scotland until Lucius found us again when I was ten and he sent some werewolf after us. I'm guessing he expected the werewolf to kill us all," she paused, staring at the picture of herself riding a toy broom.

"Is that what he meant when he said you're supposed to be dead at the World Cup?" He asked tentatively.

Meredith smirked, "You heard that eh?" she chuckled, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah, I reckon that he was surprised to see his Goddaughter alive and well."

"G-Goddaughter?" Charlie stared at her in disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it again, trying to form two words together. Finally he settled on a feeble "wow," and leaned against the opposite wall.

"Yeah, some family of mine right?" she said sarcastically. Meredith leaned against the wall next to him and stared at the pictures. "I've been meaning to take those down actually, but I've got nothing else to put up there and I can't stand the sight of bare walls."

Charlie nodded, still eyeing the picture of her parents with Lucius Malfoy. "Dumbledore knows about this?" He asked, pointing to the picture, indicating the relationship.

Meredith nodded, "Yeah, he does. He obviously managed to keep my existence a secret from Lucius for this long. I wonder what he's going to do now that he knows I'm still alive," she bit her lip, staring at Lucius' young face in the picture.

"You don't think you're in danger, are you?" Charlie asked, a concerned edge to his voice.

Meredith shrugged, unconcerned. "I have no idea. I might be," she stared up at the ceiling, "it's hard to tell what Lucius could be thinking. After all, I am living proof that he's involved with You-Know-Who."

"Maybe you should talk to Dumbledore," he suggested, nudging her with his shoulder. "See what he thinks."

"So he could tell me what? To go into hiding...again?" said Meredith with a disdainful tone. "I don't think so," she shook her head, walking into her kitchen and grabbing what Charlie could only assume to be a bottle of Firewhisky. He watched her put the bottle up to her lips and drink almost a quarter of the bottle in one draft. "Would you mind leaving me to myself for the moment, Charlie?" she asked, her voice weary.

"Um, all right, yeah," Charlie nodded vigorously, walking to the door, "I'll um...talk to you later then," he left the apartment.

Meredith smiled, she tipped the bottle in the direction of the picture of Lucius Malfoy, "For once, Godfather, you did me some good." She tipped the bottle to her lips and drank deeply.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, my friend Rox has been harrassing me about posting another chapter so here it is! I hope you're enjoying this, and remember that I LOVE reviews sooooo...feel free to send them to me, they make me happy. :) Also, I own nothing in this but my character Meredith.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! I'd just like to say thanks for reading. I just want to say (again) that I own nothing in this fanfiction except for Meredith. Everything else is the wonderful work of J.K. Rowling! Also, I *do* love reviews...just saying. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took quite a bit to write...I've had a bad case of writers block lately. Also I'm working on a Marauder's era fanfic as well, and it's taking up quite a bit of my time...I'll post it soon hopefully. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Meredith returned to work the following Monday and for the first time since she started working for Ludo Bagman, she had almost nothing to do. The mania from the Quidditch World Cup finally started to die down and with the Triwizard Tournament already taken care of, the workload was minimal. She was sitting in her office, doodling absentmindedly on a spare piece of parchment when Arthur Weasley came into her office. "Hey there, Arthur," Meredith smiled at him.

"Hello Meredith, d'you have a minute?" Arthur asked, shutting the door behind him quietly.

"For you? Absolutely," Meredith smiled again, gesturing for him to sit down. She cleared some papers off of her desk so she could see Arthur's face better. "What is it you wanted?"

"Well, Charlie told me what you told him last night," he started, his ears going pink. "About...your family's relationship with the Malfoys and I was just thinking...now that Lucius knows that you're alive, are you certain that you're safe? Because I agree with what Charlie said; I think you should talk to Dumbledore, see what he thinks."

Meredith leaned back in her chair, pursing her lips. "He already knows about the involvement my parents had with the Malfoys and the Death Eaters," she said, "Dumbledore's the one who saved me after the werewolf killed my parents."

"But does he know that Lucius knows that you're alive? Because all these years he thought that you were dead...are you certain he's not going to try and do something now that he's seen you?" Arthur said, repeating pretty much the same things that Charlie said to her the night before. "I mean, you're the only person that's not a Death Eater that can prove that he _is_ a Death Eater. You threaten his freedom."

Meredith nodded thoughtfully, "I was thinking about it, yeah, maybe I'll talk to Dumbledore when Ludo and I are at Hogwarts for the Tournament. I don't think Lucius'd try anything, I think he was just shocked by seeing me is all."

Arthur nodded, getting up from his chair. "All right, I just wanted to make sure," he had his hand on the doorknob but then turned around, as if something had just occurred to him. "And one other thing," he paused, "is it true that Lucius is your Godfather?"

Meredith sighed, "Yes, he is," she said.

Arthur's eyes widened and he looked troubled about what she had just said. "All...All right," he said, nodding slowly. "I'll see you around. Charlie and Bill aren't staying at the Burrow anymore, so I doubt Molly'll have you over, but keep your evenings open just in case," he gave her a small smile and left her office.

Meredith grinned, and decided to take the rest of the day off. She let Bagman know and went back to her apartment to have the day to herself. When she got to her apartment she grabbed the last bottle of Firewhisky she had, drew herself a bath with bubbles and slid into the water, resting her head on the lip of the bathtub, and for the first time in months she was completely alone with her thoughts. Memories of her childhood came flooding into her mind, of the times when her family spent time with the Malfoys.

_"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Meredith, Happy birthday to you!" she took a deep breath and blew out all eight candles on the cake, grinning broadly. _

_"Good job, Meredith!" her mother said, clapping her hands enthusiastically. Her father stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulder. "What did you wish for, dear?" _

_"Oh Demetri, you know if she tells it won't come true," her mother chided, smiling as her father moved the cake onto the counter to cut it. _

_Her father laughed as he went to open the door where someone was knocking. "Lucius!" she squealed excitedly, jumping off the chair and running over to him, throwing her arms around his legs. _

_"Sorry we're late," Lucius said, stepping to the side to allow Draco and Narcissa to walk into the house. He got down on his knees and handed a small, brightly wrapped package to Meredith, who once again squealed excitedly. _

_"What is it?" Meredith ripped the wrapping paper off of the box in an excited rush and threw the top of the box onto the floor. A sparkly green dress was in the box, and she gasped. _

_"Narcissa picked that out for you," Lucius said, smiling. "D'you like it?" _

_"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She jumped up and down, clutching the dress in her hands. She hugged Lucius again and ran over to Narcissa and hugged her legs. _

The water was freezing when Meredith pulled herself from her reverie. Struggling slightly, she grabbed her bathrobe and walked into her bedroom. Without thinking clearly she grabbed her telephone to call her aunt Isadora; funnily enough, Meredith was against getting the telephone but her aunt was insistent upon it. She hated communicating by fireplace, and owl post was too slow for her taste. Meredith sat down on the bed and waited for her aunt to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Her aunt picked up the phone on the fifth ring, sounding slightly out of breath, like she had run to pick it up.

"Hi, Aunt Dora, it's Meredith," she said, trying to choose her words carefully.

"Aww Merry, how are you doing dear?" She said, using the childhood nickname that Meredith hated.

Cringing slightly, she took a deep breath and spoke again. "I'm all right...I kind of need your help."

The sound of Isadora's barking laughter cut across Meredith's ear, "What do you need my help with, Merry?"

"Well, its guy trouble, actually, I need some advice on something," she said, twirling the phone cord on her finger.

"Trouble with Remus, honey?" Isadora said, and Meredith could almost picture her aunt leaning forward in her chair as though trying to catch every word she was saying.

Meredith sighed, biting the inside of her cheek. "There's actually another guy," she said.

"What? Hold on dear, I'll be right over," Isadora hung up and a moment later there was a knock at the door.

Meredith tightened the belt on her robe and ran to the kitchen. "Doors open," she yelled, leaning into her refrigerator and grabbing an unopened bottle of Firewhisky for the both of them to share.

Isadora walked into her apartment, kicking her shoes off against the wall. "So," she said in a business-like tone, "tell me about this other guy." She sat down at the table with Meredith, pouring herself a glass of Firewhisky.

"His name is Charlie, he works with dragons in Romania,he's twenty-two and he's absolutely gorgeous," Meredith began, pouring herself a glass of Firewhisky. She took a large swill from her glass and continued; "he's so...adventurous and passionate. He makes me feel...alive."

"Well, my first thought is that he's closer to your age," Isadora said, filling her glass again. "Tell me everything about Remus."

Meredith grinned, "Remus is so amazing. He understands me, he's romantic. He _knows_ me, you know? I mean, I could go to him at the end of a rough day and I don't even have to say anything," Meredith paused, draining her glass. She hissed as the Firewhisky seared her throat, "But he gets so hung up on the age thing, he's always second-guessing me, like he can't believe I'm actually with him or something. I've tried everything to make him believe that I love him, but its like he doesn't believe me."

Isadora smiled, "Men can be a bit daft about things like that sometimes," she said, shrugging. "A lot of the time they need convincing that they're worth being loved. I mean, it makes sense for him."

"What do you mean?" Meredith asked, confused.

"Look at him, he's a werewolf. He's been shunned and neglected his whole life by society," Isadora steepled her fingers, resting her chin on them. She smiled, "Its different for you being a werewolf, Meredith. You're a woman, people want to believe that you're not a..."

"A monster?" Meredith smiled wryly.

Isadora paused, running her finger across the rim of her glass. "My point is, people are more willing to believe that story you tell of being attacked by a werewolf that wasn't in a full moon cycle, so it's a little easier for you to...get by in society."

Meredith nodded in agreement, pursing her lips together. "It sounds like you're encouraging me to be with Remus and not Charlie," she said, raising an eyebrow.

Isadora grinned, filling up her glass. "I wish you could have seen yourself when you were talking about him. Even when you were telling me about how he's always second-guessing you, you had this look in your eye," she paused, smiling again, "you're in love with him. It's obvious. Charlie's just...you don't have the same look in your eye. He's a friend."

Meredith grinned, blushing furiously. "So how do I make him realize how much he means to me?" She asked.

"I don't know, dear, that's all you," Isadora said, shrugging. "But you definitely need to talk to him."

Meredith smiled again, downing her third glass of Firewhisky. She slid her glass away from her, "I don't think I've drunk this much in like, three years. The past two days I've had two full bottles to myself," she shook her head, "these men stress me out."

Isadora laughed out loud, leaning across the table to pat her on the shoulder. "They tend to do that too," she said, smiling. "I know it sounds repetitive, but you just have to talk to him. Try to make him see how much he means to you." She stood up, glancing at the clock. "I have to get back, your uncle Edgar gets cranky when he doesn't get his dinner."

"All right, thank you for the advice Aunt Dora," she smiled, leaning across the table to hug her aunt. "I'll have to come by and see you guys sometime."

"Absolutely dear, don't be a stranger...and bring that Remus by, too! I want to meet the man that's stolen my dearest niece's heart so completely," Isadora smiled, winking at Meredith before Disapparating.

Meredith smiled again, grabbing the bottle of Firewhisky and pouring the rest of the amber liquid down the sink and tossing the bottle in the garbage. Then, as if acting on some kind of mystic force, she walked up to her bedroom and wrote a note to Charlie.

_Charlie, _

_I don't think I even need to say how much you mean to me. You've become one of my closest friends, and I cherish you for that.__But the fact of the matter is, Remus was in my life first and he means a great deal to me.  
So I guess what I'm saying is that I've made my decision and...well, I hope we can still be friends. _

_Love always,_

_Meredith_

Meredith sent the note with her owl and watched it fly away into the starry night, thanking God that she had an aunt that could give her such amazing advice. _Now I just have to convince Remus of what I know to be true._ She thought to herself. _Should be fun._

* * *

Instead of going home after work, Meredith heeded her aunts advice and went to talk to Lupin. She Apparated to his house and cautiously knocked on the door; she had never been inside his house before, but he had told her where it was a few months ago. After a few moments with no answer she knocked again, leaning on the door frame.

"Meredith, what are you doing here?" Lupin opened the door with a puzzled look on his face. He kept the door chain on, so that the only thing she could see was his face and nothing on the inside was visible.

"I um...I wanted to see you," Meredith said, stepping closer to him. She reached her hand towards him, running her fingers across the back of his hand. She smiled, remembering what her Aunt told her. "I missed you."

Lupin chuckled, smiling and lacing his fingers with hers. "You saw me yesterday," he said.

"I know but," Meredith shivered, "can I come in? It's really cold out here," she wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her sweater across her chest.

"Oh, sorry!" Lupin's eyes widened as he opened the door wide enough for her to walk through.

Meredith cautiously stepped over the threshold, unsure of what to expect, since she had never been in his house before. Everything had its place, and it looked--at least to Meredith--almost too clean for a man to actually live there. The one disorganized aspect of Lupin's house was the fact that there were books laying everywhere; some laying open with scraps of paper marking different passages. Meredith smiled at this, running her hands along the spines of the books. "I always thought your house would be full of books," she said.

Lupin chuckled, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, something he knew she loved. "These aren't actually my books, I just put them out in case you were coming over, so I would look smart," Lupin said jokingly, kissing the back of her neck, a spot he knew sent chills down her spine.

"Remus," she shivered, bracing herself on the back of his couch as she felt her knees go weak.

His hands pulled her into him and slid underneath her shirt then down to her jeans, where he quickly undid the button and forced them down to the floor. "I'm taking you upstairs. Its high time that you've seen my bedroom," he said as he picked her up and carried her bridal-style up the stairs and blindly kicking the door open.

"I like the sound of that," Meredith giggled wickedly, shutting the door with her own foot and pulling him towards the bed without another thought.


	8. Chapter 8

"Meredith, you have to get up and go to work," Lupin pushed on her shoulder, brushing her hair out of her face trying to wake her up.

"Hmph, I'll take a sick day," Meredith said tiredly, grabbing his arm and pushing it away from her, then she pulled her blanket over her head. Meredith heard him chuckle then suddenly felt cold, and opened her eyes to discover that Lupin had pulled her blanket off of her. Groaning loudly, she pressed her pillow over her face, shielding herself from the light.

Lupin chuckled again, grabbing her foot and pulling her off of the bed.

"You. Are. A. Complete. Arse," Meredith groaned, curling up in a ball on the floor. "I hate you so much right now." Meredith got up on her knees and used the bed as a crutch to help her stand. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled to the bathroom where she splashed cold water on her face. She returned to the bedroom looking more awake but even more disgruntled. "Is that how you're going to wake me up every morning?"

"No, probably not," Lupin said, smiling, "but it was kind of fun."

"Again: I hate you so much right now," she yawned, stumbling off into the kitchen to brew herself coffee.

Lupin followed her into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You don't hate me," he said, nuzzling her neck.

Meredith giggled, running her hands over his arms and nuzzling him back. "I don't, but if you ever wake me up like that again...I will be forced to hurt you," she said seriously, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "And I'm not even kidding."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," Lupin said, smiling. He wrapped his arms around her tighter, kissing her neck and shoulder.

"Remus," she breathed, leaning into him and using the kitchen counter for support. "I have to get to work," she wriggled out of his grip and walked into her bedroom to change, but halfway down the hall she realized that she was at Lupin's house. "Ugh, I'll see you later," she Disapparated on the spot.

* * *

"Are you ready to go back to Hogwarts tonight, Meredith?" Bagman grinned excitedly, bouncing into her office.

Meredith looked up from her work and returned the smile, "I can't wait. It's going to be amazing," she said. "I just can't believe I get to be a part of something that's going to be so memorable."

Bagman nodded, "I'm just happy to give you the opportunity," he smiled again. "So, have you packed already?"

"Actually, no I haven't," Meredith admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"Well, then take the rest of the day off and take care of that," Bagman said happily, "there's nothing you need to do here that needs to be done immediately."

Meredith stared at him in surprise, "Are you sure, Ludo?" She asked.

"Sure, sure, take the day off. Just be sure to meet me at the Three Broomsticks at five so we can get to Hogwarts by six," Bagman said, still smiling.

"All right, well, thank you Sir," Meredith pulled her jacket from the coat stand behind her desk. "I'll be at the Three Broomsticks at five," she smiled, patting him on the shoulder as she walked out of her office.

* * *

Meredith, Bagman and Mr. Crouch arrived at Hogwarts and sat down at the staff table while the students were still fussing about the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were taking their seats amongst the students.

"I've always imagined what it would be like to sit up at the staff table instead of down there with the students," Meredith said, grinning as she took her seat in between Professor Karkaroff and Bagman, who laughed heartily at Meredith's remark.

"Oh yes, I forgot you've only just left Hogwarts," Bagman patted her on the shoulder, "I reckon you know quite a few of the students." He said, his eyes scanning the crowd.

Meredith nodded, catching Fred and George's eye and winking at the both of them. "Most of the Gryffindors, yes," she said, smiling. Then she caught Hermione, Ron and Harry's gaze and threw them a casual wave, which they returned with gusto.

The Great Hall was buzzing with enthusiastic conversation; Meredith imagined that the students were talking about the Triwizard Tournament and Viktor Krum who, Meredith noticed, was chatting animatedly with Draco Malfoy. Over at the Gryffindor table she saw Fred, George and Lee with their heads together, no doubt planning something mischievous. Over at the Hufflepuff table she saw the always-handsome Cedric Diggory chatting with his friends; she wondered if he was planning to enter the Tournament.

Dumbledore stood up to speak, and the Hall instantly fell silent. Meredith smiled, admiring the respect that he commanded. "Allow me to introduce, if you don't already know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation"--Meredith clapped politely, as did much of the students in the Great Hall--"Mr. Ludo Bagman, the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports,"--the applause were much louder for him--"and, I'm sure a lot of you know Meredith Douglas, as she just left Hogwarts last year."

Meredith, Bagman and Crouch waved cordially at the crowd when their names were announced, and the applause died down when Dumbledore held his hands up again. "Mr. Bagman, Mr. Crouch and Miss Douglas have worked tirelessly over the summer to make the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament and they will be joining Madame Maxime, Professor Karkaroff and I on the judging panel. Now, the casket Mr. Filch if you please."

Mr. Filch came hobbling out into the center of the table carrying a large--there was no better word for it, Meredith thought--casket and set it down with a dull thud in front of Dumbledore. "This is the Goblet of Fire, and it is the impartial selector who will decide the champions from each of the schools," he said as he tapped the casket a few times with his wand, and the box fell away to reveal an equally as old-looking goblet that was currently full of dancing blue flames.

"Any aspiring champions have twenty-four hours to submit their names to the goblet, and tomorrow evening the champion from each school will be selected," Dumbledore said, pausing to accommodate a slight rise in voices from the students, "the goblet will be placed in the entrance hall for tonight, and _only_ students who are of age may enter their names...I will be drawing an Age Line to prevent any underage students from entering their names."

Dumbledore stepped out from behind the dais he was speaking behind and stood next to the goblet. "Now, I must reiterate that putting your name in the goblet enters you in a binding magical contract, and if you are chosen, you stand alone. So, before putting your name in you must be one-hundred percent sure that you wish to compete because there can be no backing out," he said seriously, pausing to run his eyes over the students. "Now, I think that it is time for bed, good night to you all."

Meredith smiled at Dumbledore, walking over to him to shake his hand. "It's so good to see you again, sir," she said.

"And you, Miss Douglas, I trust you're doing well," Dumbledore said, smiling amiably.

"Wonderful, thank you," she said, smiling back. "Its great to be back here," Meredith nodded, sticking her hands on the pockets of her robes; it felt strange to her to wear them after wearing Muggle clothes for such a long time.

"Oy, Meredith!" Ron's voice carried over the bustle of the crowd and she turned around just in time to catch Hermione in her arms as she tripped over his robes. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

"I couldn't very well tell you about it, it would have ruined the surprise," Meredith grinned, patting Hermione on the back and taking turns hugging Ron and Harry. Then she leaned closer to Harry to whisper in his ear, "Have you heard from Sirius at all lately?"

Harry nodded wordlessly, "He says he's back in the country, I told him about my scar hurting and he's come back to England, what if he gets caught?" he said with a worried tone.

Meredith nodded, patting him on the shoulder before she walked out of the Great Hall. "I'm sure he's going to be fine, he just wants to be close to you. I'll see you three tomorrow, I've got to go check in at the Three Broomsticks before they give my room away," she said, running towards the castle gates.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, this is chapter 8 (obviously) and I hope you enjoyed it. I've been having a bit of a writer's block lately so it's been pretty hard to write, but I'm trying! :) Again, I'll say as I've always said in my other notes....I LOVE reviews...please feel free to send me suggestions or anything via private message as well. You guys are awesome, and if you know about any awesome Marauder era fanfics that you think I should read, please recommend them to me!


	9. Chapter 9

"The goblet needs about a minute before it makes its final decisions," Dumbledore said, speaking over the crowd of students at the Halloween feast. "When your name is selected, I'd like you to come to the top of the Hall and walk into the adjoining chamber to wait further instructions," Meredith sat next to Bagman and Karkaroff again, watching Dumbledore as he brandished his wand at the goblet, whose flames glowed orange and spat out a piece of paper. Then, with the agility of a much younger wizard, Dumbledore caught it with his left hand, unfolded it and spoke. "The champion from Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum."

Meredith clapped politely, wincing as the entire Hall erupted in applause; she watched Viktor Krum make his way into the chamber behind the staff table. After the applause died down, the goblet spit out another piece of paper and again Dumbledore snatched it out of the air. "The champion from Beauxbatons will be Fleur Delacour!" The ear-splitting applause resumed again and Meredith waited for him to announce the Hogwarts champion with bated breath.

"The Hogwarts chamion," Dumbledore said, "is Cedric Diggory!" The Hufflepuff table went nuts; Meredith visibly winced as she clapped along with the rest of the school, stopping long enough to pat him on the back as he walked by her. When the applause finally died Dumbledore spoke again, "Now that we have our three champions, I trust that the students from their respective schools will support and cheer on their champion as they begin their--" He stopped speaking and stared at the goblet, which had red flames and spit out another piece of paper.

Everyone stared at Dumbledore as he stared at the piece of paper. Finally, he cleared his throat and read the name out loud. "Harry Potter," he said.

Meredith's jaw dropped, her eyes as wide as the dinner plates they had just eaten on. She stared at Dumbledore, too stunned to speak. "Will Harry Potter come forward, please?" He spoke again, holding the piece of parchment in his hand. Meredith watched in silent horror as Harry walked up the aisle and made his way into the chamber adjacent to the Great Hall. She got up and followed him into the chamber, still struck dumb by what had just happened. Bagman was tailing behind, bouncing happily on his heels.

Bagman seemed to be the only one unaffected by what had just happened; he was his usual, jovial self. "How extraordinary! A _fourth _champion!" He clapped his hand on Harry's back and looked at the other three champions with a smile. Meredith watched as their faces changed into identical looks of surprise and confusion.

Unsure of what to do, Meredith put her hands on Harry's shoulders and squeezed him gently. She gave him a cautious smile, but still couldn't find the words to speak. Dumbledore, Barty Crouch, Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, McGonagall, and Snape entered the chamber, all of them looking spectacularly confused. Karkaroff was the first to speak, and they were words of condemnation. "What is this, Dumbledore? _Two _Hogwarts champions?"

Dumbledore looked at Karkaroff who continued to rally against him; "I was under the impression that your Age Line would keep out younger contestants, otherwise we could have brought more students."

At this point Snape stepped forward, his signature sneer plastered on his face. "This isn't Dumbledore's fault, Karkaroff, its Potter's. Ever since he arrived here at Hogwarts he's been a persistent rule-breaker," he said with a steely glare.

"Oh come off it, Severus," Meredith snapped, glaring malevolently at Snape, "you can't possibly suggest that Harry could have put his own name in that goblet! Dumbledore drew that Age Line himself, Harry couldn't have crossed it...unless you're suggesting that Dumbledore made a mistake?"

Snape stared at Meredith, a mixture of intense anger and shock in his eyes. Meredith stared back, matching his anger with a mixed look of contempt and extreme dislike in her eyes. Dumbledore broke the glaring match by stepping in between them and staring directly at Harry. "Did you put your name in the goblet, Harry?" He asked.

"No, I didn't," Harry said quietly, his voice even. Snape snorted derisively, but Dumbledore disregarded this.

"Did you persuade an older student to do it for you?" He continued, staring hard into Harry's eyes.

Once again, Harry shook his head. "No, I didn't," he said.

"He is lying, of course he did," Madame Maxime piped up, her thick French accent making her words almost incomprehensible.

"Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, you are our...objective judges," Karkaroff said, his voice so full of insincere flattery that Meredith made a fake gagging noise behind Harry's head which Karkaroff had to make an effort to ignore, "surely you think that this is most unusual?"

Bagman looked over at Mr. Crouch, who cleared his throat and spoke in his usual brusque manner. "The rules are clear. If a persons name comes out of the goblet he or she must compete; they are bound by a magical contract."

"I demand we resubmit the names until each school has two champions," Karkaroff said, his hand on Viktor's shoudler.

Meredith side-stepped Harry and stood face-to-face with Karkaroff. "It doesn't work like that, the goblet cannot be reignited once it has gone out. It will only light back up when there is another tournament."

"In which Durmstrang will most certainly _not _be taking a part of! After all of the meetings and compromises, I didn't think something like this would happen, I have half a mind to leave right now!" Karkaroff spat, glaring at Meredith.

"Empty threat, Karkaroff," a voice from near the door growled. "You can't leave Krum now, he's got to compete. Binding magical contract like they all said. Convenient, isn't it?" Moody stepped from the shadows and limped over to a chair by the fireplace.

"What are you talking about, Moody?" Karkaroff said, and despite his efforts to sound disdainful, there was a tone of curiosity in his voice.

"Don't you get it? It's very simple," Moody growled, "someone put Potter's name in the goblet, knowing he would have to compete."

"Perhaps someone just wanted to give Hogwarts an extra shot at the Cup," Madame Maxime said, putting her hands on Fleur's shoulders and gripping them tightly.

"I agree with Madame Maxime," Karakaroff regarded her with a wave of his hand, "I am going to lodge complaints with the Ministry and the International Confederation of Wizards."

"If anyone should be _complaining_, it should be Harry," Meredith said, "and I don't hear him saying a word."

"Why should he? He has a chance to compete! We've all been hoping to be chosen to honor our schools! A thousand galleons prize money, it's a chance many people would die for," Fleur piped up, stamping her foot on the floor angrily; Meredith had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing at her.

"Only a skilled witch or wizard could have put Harry's name into that goblet," Meredith said, standing next to Moody and crossing her arms across her chest.

Madame Maxime rounded on her, turning towards her so fast that Meredith flinched slightly. "And what evidence is there of that?"

"Because they fooled an exceptionally magical object," Moody supplied, standing up the chair and taking a step towards Karkaroff, "Somebody would have had to cast a very powerful Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools were supposed to compete...they probably submitted Potter's name under a fourth school to make sure that he was the only one in his category."

"You seem to have thought about this a lot, Moody," Karkaroff said with disdain, "and it's a very brilliant theory--though I heard you recently destroyed a rather handsome carriage clock you got for your birthday, thinking it was a basilisk egg."

Moody took another step towards Karkaroff, "There are those who would use an innocent occasion to their advantage. It was once my job to think like Dark Wizards do, you ought to know." His magical eye swirled on him pointedly.

"Alastor!" Dumbledore put his hand on Moody's shoulder warningly. Moody fell silent but continued to glare at Karkaroff with satisfaction. "How this situation came up, I do not know. But Mr. Crouch has made it very clear that Harry and Cedric ought to compete...and this is what they will do." Dumbledore said firmly.

Almost instantly after Dumbledore spoke these words, the atmosphere in the room changed; Madame Maxime glared, too incensed to speak. Karkaroff looked livid and Snape glared malevolently at Meredith, as though he was blaming her for the whole ordeal. "Well, let's get back on track, then. The instructions for the first task, then, Barty."

Mr. Crouch nodded vigorously, and spoke in his same curt voice. "The first task is designed to test your daring so we're not going to tell you what it is," he said, looking at Harry, Cedric, Krum and Fleur, "courage in the face of the unknown is a very important quality in a wizard. The first task will take place on November twenty-fourth in front of the students and judging panel. The champions are not permitted to ask for help and they will face the task with nothing more than their wands. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempt from end-of-the-year exams." He turned to face Dumbledore, "I think that's all, isn't it, Albus?"

Dumbledore nodded, "yes, that is all," he said, "wouldn't you like to stay Bartemius, perhaps for a drink?"

"No, no, I must get back to the Ministry, I've left young Weatherby in charge--" Meredith quickly turned her laugh into a hacking cough, "and he's a bit too enthusiastic, truth be told. I must get back," he left the room before anyone could protest.

Meredith waited until everyone else had left the room except for herself, Harry and Dumbledore before she spoke again. "Well...that certainly was...an interesting feast," she said, shrugging in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere; she knew it was probably useless, but she wanted to try nonetheless. "Harry...remember, if you need anything...I'm here," she wrapped him up in a hug before leaving the room and heading back to the Three Broomsticks.

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A/N: Ugh, you have no idea how difficult it was for me to write this. For some reason I've had a horrible writer's block for a while...thanks to my friend Roxr for helping me come up with ideas...she's awesome! And again, I love reviews so...just sayin'


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I guess I'm on a roll...wrote this last night at about 3am...couldn't sleep. Anyway, I hope you like it :)

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"I'm fine with the tea, thanks," Meredith said, tipping her glass towards the waiter and smiled as he walked back into the restaurant; she was sitting outside in the sun, enjoying the last remnants of the summer before it got too cold. She sat at the table, reading the Daily Prophet, scoffing at the latest dribble Rita Skeeter was writing about Harry.

Just as she was turning the page, out of the corner of her eye she saw a large black dog walk down the alleyway. It made its way to her and nipped at the paper playfully. Meredith smiled, scratching behind the dog's ears. "Harry said you were back in the country, don't you think that's a little risky, Sirius?" She bent down under the pretense of picking up a Galleon she had dropped.

The dog tilted its head and gave a very human look of confusion. Meredith smiled and got the attention of the waiter, "I've actually got to go, sorry," she said, getting up and setting a few Galleons on the table to pay for her meal. She beckoned the dog to come with her, and she walked back to the Three Broomsticks, sneaking the dog up to her room.

Once she got into her room and locked the door, she turned to Sirius with a huge grin. "You can change back now," she said, "I'd imagine that being a dog for a long time can get uncomfortable."

The dog trotted behind the bed and a few seconds later a man with long, black hair and tattered robes stood up from behind the bed. "How did you know it was me?" He asked.

"Well, it's hard to forget the dog who gave me this," Meredith said, pulling the sleeve of her robe down to reveal the scar on her arm. "I remember you helping me restrain Remus that night Peter escaped."

Sirius nodded knowingly, eyeing her with a slight flash of suspicion in his eyes. "And your name was?" He asked.

"Oh, it's Meredith. Meredith Douglas," she said, sitting down on the mattress next to where he was standing. "I was...with Snape, we sort of crashed the party in the Shrieking Shack...I'm the other werewolf, I kept Remus away from Harry that night, since he didn't take the potion."

"Ahh, that was _you_," Sirius said, nodding. "I thought I recognized you. That's why I approached you in front of the restaurant."

Meredith smiled, "So, how's it going, pretending to be a lovable stray? You look really thin," she said, grabbing his robes and stretching them tight across his front.

"Living off rats, mostly," Sirius said honestly, shrugging.

"That's a shame," Meredith shook her head, "well, I'll speak to Tom and tell him that I found the most wonderfully adorable dog and I want to keep him in my room. I'm sure he'll be fine with it," she grinned. "Are you hungry?"

Sirius nodded vigorously, "I am, actually." He said.

"Well, I'll be back in a few minutes," Meredith said as she left the room, locking the door with her wand behind her. She returned twenty minutes later with a steaming plate of chicken and potatoes in her hand.

"Thanks," Sirius took the plate from her hands and ate from it greedily, in an almost dog-like manner. Meredith smiled, sitting down on the other side of the bed, untying her boots and pulling them off her feet. Then she looked over her shoulder, completely at a loss of what to say to him.

"You know what I was thinking?" She said suddenly, turning to face him. He gave her a questioning look, but remained silent, so she took it as a cue to continue. "I could owl Harry and ask him when the next Hogsmeade visit is, and he could come here and you guys could talk?"

Sirius' face lit up in the first genuine smile Meredith had seen; it made him look years younger, and highlighted his old features that once made him look effortlessly handsome, but the years he spent in Azkaban had aged him in a way that was irreversible. "That would be amazing, Meredith." He reached across the bed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Happy to help," she said, smiling. They sat in silence for a few minutes until there was an abrupt knock at the door. Meredith looked at Sirius, horrorstruck, before he jumped down behind the bed and jumped back up in his dog form. She smiled and walked to the door. "Remus!" She exclaimed, casting an eager glance at Sirius and opening the door.

"Meredith, Dumbledore told me you were staying--" his voice died in his throat as he finally noticed Sirius sitting on the bed. His gaze shifted from both of them, his mouth open in surprise. Meredith shut the door and locked it, then spoke up.

"Um, Sirius, I think its safe to change back," Meredith said, giving him a shaky smile. The dog jumped down behind the mattress and stood up as a human once more.

Sirius grinned at Lupin, "Hello Remus," he said, "Meredith found me wandering around Hogsmeade today."

"And he's...staying with you?" Lupin said skeptically, looking at Meredith.

"Well, we haven't really talked about it but, yeah, I thought he could, at least he'd be safe instead of out in the wild," Meredith said, shrugging casually.

Lupin bit his lip, looking from Sirius to Meredith with a suspicious eye. "Can I talk to you for a moment, alone?" He said, putting his hand on Meredith's arm.

"Sure," she said, shrugging as she walked with him out into the hallway. "What is it, Remus?"

Lupin bit his lip again, looking concerned. "I don't think it's a good idea for Sirius to stay with you here," he said.

Meredith scoffed, "Why not? He'd be safer here than living in the mountains and starving," she said, glaring at him.

"I just...don't think it's a good idea, he's not..." Lupin paused, unsure of how to continue. "When we were in Hogwarts together he...was known to be quite the uh....Casanova."

Meredith fought hard to keep herself from laughing out loud, her face turning pink. "Casanova? What is this, the nineteenth Century?" She grinned, amused by his word choice.

"Oh you know what I mean," Lupin said, sounding annoyed. He put his hands on her shoulders and stared at her.

"So what? You think he's going to try and seduce me or something? Look Remus, I'm just trying to help him. It's safer for him here than wandering the streets and getting caught by the dementors!" Meredith sighed, leaning against the doorway.

"That's not what I'm talking about," he said tiredly.

"Oh, what? You think I'm going to sleep around on you with him? Why do you always go there with me? That's so insulting," Meredith said, the expression on her face a mixture of hurt and anger.

"No, Meredith, no, that's not what I meant," Lupin said quickly, reaching to put his arms around her.

Meredith jerked her shoulders away from him and in one swift motion opened the door behind her and went back into the room, where she momentarily forgot Sirius was waiting for her. She fought hard to control her emotions but it was to no avail; smashing the mirror was a dead giveaway to her true feelings. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Remus says that you were known to be 'quite the Casanova' when you two were in Hogwarts together," Meredith said, fighting the urge to smile, "he seems to think that you staying here is a bad idea. He thinks that you're going to seduce me, or something."

Sirius was taken aback, staring at her with a confused look on his face. "And why would he be concerned about that?"

"Because Remus and I are..." Meredith paused, blushing furiously. "We're seeing each other." She grinned, which only exacerbated her embarrassment.

Sirius made a quiet noise of comprehension, nodding slowly. "Ah, I see," he said, "he was never very lucky with women in his youth. He was always really self-concious because of his...being a werewolf and all...never got the same attention James did. I'm sure you can understand what that feels like."

Meredith sighed, pursing her lips together thoughtfully. After a moment she spoke, her voice quiet and slightly shaky. "Actually, no one really knows about me being...a werewolf. The only reason I got the job at the Ministry is because I've managed to convince them that I wasn't bitten by a true werewolf," she said, smiling ruefully. "I suppose people are more inclined to believe a woman when she says she's not a monster, than accept the truth. It's always been a little bit easier for me."

Sirius nodded slowly, taking in what she had just said. "Thanks, by the way, for letting me stay here with you," he gave her a small smile.

Meredith smiled back, thankful that he had enough tact to change the subject. "It's no problem. I just wouldn't be able to stand the thought of you staying in some cave starving," she said.

"You are aware that if I'm caught, you could be charged with aiding and abetting a dangerous criminal...you could go to Azkaban for it," he said severely.

Meredith smirked, "I work for the Ministry, if they are even remotely close to catching you I'll know, and give you ample time to get away," she said, "besides, you're Harry's godfather, and he needs you right now...with the Triwizard Tournament."

"Ah, any idea how that happened?" Sirius asked.

"No, your guess is as good as anyone else's," Meredith shrugged, "although, Snape was quick to assume that Harry did it himself...he's so diluted, its ridiculous. Moody seems to think that someone put it in the goblet on purpose, in an effort to get him killed. Either way he's got to compete...'binding magical contract' and all that."

Sirius gritted his teeth in frustration, his hands grabbing at the frail cloth covering his legs. Meredith sensed his anger and without thinking, she reached her hand over to his and squeezed it encouragingly. "He's going to be fine," she said, smiling at him, "Harry is a very smart wizard, he can do it. I mean, look at all the other things that he's done: he took the sorcerer's stone from You-Know-Who when he was _eleven_, he saved that Weasley girl from You-Know-Who when he was _twelve_. He can handle himself."

Sirius smiled and squeezed her hand back, "He is an extraordinary person," he said, "just like his father."

Meredith smiled again, grabbing her plaid flannel pajamas from her trunk and walking into the bathroom to change. She returned with her toothbrush in her mouth, looking at Sirius with a curious expression, "I'll be right back, give me one-second," she said and Disapparated.

She returned moments later with a bag full of clothes and various toiletries, "I figured you could use some new clothes, and I brought you some shampoo and soap and whatnot," she said sheepishly, holding the bag out to him and blushing.

Sirius smiled again, taking the bag and looking inside of it. "Thanks, that's really nice of you," he said, "I'll just, go and," he pointed off to the bathroom and walked over, fumbling slightly with the door and disappearing behind it for a half an hour, coming back out looking decidedly healthier; still emaciated, but the hot water made his features come alive.

"These are my uncles clothes," Meredith supplied, "he has so much, he wouldn't notice if some things went missing," she smiled awkwardly, suddenly becoming preoccupied with a loose string on the bedspread.

"You're incredibly thoughtful, Meredith," Sirius said, fiddling with the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing.

Meredith smiled shyly, "Its just how I was raised," she said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail and sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Sirius was about to speak but was interrupted by a huge yawn he vainly tried to hide behind his hand.

"Oh, here," Meredith grabbed her wand from the bedside table and with a flick of her wand a slightly smaller but still comfortable-looking bed appeared next to the original one.

"Nice wandwork," Sirius nodded appreciatively, pushing on the mattress with his hand to test the softness.

Meredith grinned, walking over to the door and locking it, as well as casting silencing charms around the room so they wouldn't be heard talking to each other. "Thanks," she said as she crawled into her own bed, setting her wand right next to her head on the bedside table. "Goodnight Sirius," she said, fluffing up her pillows and slamming her head on them. She waited for a response, but when she looked over at him he was already sleeping, snoring slightly.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: It appears that I am back on the ball! I have written, like, five chapters in the past couple of days with some much appreciated help from my best friend and fellow writer Roxr!  
I'll try to post all of what I have written (maybe a chapter a day?) very, very soon. I'm really excited about this... :D I just hope you guys are, too.

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Over the next few weeks Meredith and Sirius spent a great deal of time together; whenever she wasn't at the school or at the Ministry she was hanging out with him in the room, or walking around Hogsmeade with him as Padfoot. At first they talked about Harry--Sirius wanted to know everything about his Godson. After that, they began to talk about their own lives with some reluctance from Meredith. It was only after Sirius opened up about his family did she really feel comfortable with sharing her life story with him.

"I was ten years old when I was bitten," she told him one day over their afternoon tea, "something kept killing our animals and one night my dad went out to stand guard...y'know, to try and kill whatever it was. I woke up that night to my parents screaming, then the monster came for me," Meredith sighed, "after that, Dumbledore took me in, explained to me what I was and helped me...accepted me at Hogwarts despite my condition. When I was a teenager I discovered that someone had set that werewolf on my family with the intention of killing all of us."

"And did you find out who did it?" Sirius asked, stirring sugar into his tea.

Meredith smirked, "My loving Godfather," she said sarcastically. "Lucius Malfoy."

Sirius dropped his cup onto the floor where it shattered and spilled tea all over the carpet. "Lucius...Malfoy? Is your Godfather?" He said, looking thunderstruck.

Meredith smirked again, "Yeah, tragic isn't it? He sent the werewolf on my family after my parents refused an order from You-Know-Who; they were Death Eaters, but once I was born they...in a manner, came to their senses," she bent down to pick up the cup Sirius dropped in surprise, using her wand to siphon the tea from the carpet.

Sirius stared at her in silence, unable to speak. Finally he found his voice. "I...Does Remus know about this?" He asked.

Meredith shook her head, "Charlie and Arthur Weasley know, and they're pressuring me to tell Dumbledore; they think that Lucius might come after me, now that he knows I'm still alive. I have not been...able to bring myself to tell Remus yet. I have no idea why but I couldn't do it."

"Well, don't you think you should? It's...quite a secret, and you're telling everyone else but him," Sirius said.

"I guess I should," Meredith said, shrugging, "I'm just...I don't know, ever since I told Charlie he's been...distant. Like he thinks I'm evil or something. I don't want Remus to do the same."

"I'm sure he wouldn't do that," Sirius said, "from what I've seen when you two are together...he seems to be very much in love with you."

Meredith grinned, blushing furiously. "How d'you figure that?" She asked.

Sirius shrugged, "Remus is my best friend, I could just tell by the way he looks at you," he said, giving her a small smile. "It's not something I've seen very much of, but I can tell that he cares for you."

Meredith was about to speak when there was a sudden knock at the door; her eyes widened as she looked at Sirius with alarm. "Who is it?" She asked, eyeing the door suspiciously.

"It's Ludo Bagman!" The voice said, knocking frantically on the door.

Sirius leapt behind the bed and changed back into his dog form, coming out of the shadows wagging his tail enthusiastically. Meredith had to work to fight off her laughter as she opened the door, "Ludo, what an unexpected surprise. What brings you here?"

Bagman shut the door with unnecessary force and gave Meredith a suspicious glance. "You lied to us," he said bluntly.

"What? I don't know what you mean, Ludo," Meredith said honestly, glancing at Sirius, who walked over to her and nudged her hand with his nose.

"Snape told us all that you lied. Lied about being a werewolf," he said, suddenly looking furious.

Meredith bit her lip, trying her best to look surprised. But before she could respond to Bagman he spoke again, "How could you lie to us--to me--like that? Do you realize that I'm going to have to fire you now?" He said with a pained expression on his face.

"W-What?" Meredith's jaw dropped, her hand slamming into Sirius' face as she dropped it from her hip in surprise. "Fire me?"

"Believe me, I'd rather not--you were the best assistant I've ever had," Bagman said, wringing his hands, "but it's only been a day, and the Ministry's gotten hundreds of letters of complaint about you. I'm sorry, but you're fired," he said.

Meredith staggered backwards, her hand catching the bureau to support herself. "Ludo...no," she shook her head slowly, "there has to be another way."

"I'm afraid there isn't, I'm terribly sorry," he said, opening the door and backing out slowly, "I'll always value what you did for me this summer." He shut the door quietly, casting one last apologetic glance at her before he disappeared down the hallway.

"I am going to _kill_ Severus Snape," she gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into the mirror causing it to shatter into a hundred pieces.

By that time Sirius had transformed back into his human self and was making his way over to Meredith, catching her shoulders as she stumbled after hitting the mirror. "Give me your wand," he said quietly, taking her bleeding hand and pointing her wand at it, muttering a spell which healed the wounds almost instantly.

"Thanks, Sirius," Meredith said, giving him a shaky smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, grabbing her wand out of his hand and rushing off towards the school.

Perhaps it was her intense anger or her inability to focus at that particular moment, but she was inside Snape's office before she knew it and was standing face-to-face with him. He regarded her with an almost bored expression on his face, "Was there something you needed, Miss Douglas?" He asked.

Meredith pulled out her wand and pointed it at his throat. "I. Can't. Believe you, Severus. Just because I mouthed off to you that night when they selected the champions...you go and ruin my career? Were you not aware that I was _this _close to becoming an Auror..._two _years early?" She held her fingers up about a millimeter apart, "And you ruined it."

"I can assure you that I have no idea what you're talking about, Miss Douglas, perhaps you have me mistaken with someone else," Snape said coldly, pouring various liquids into vials, acting as though the conversation was boring him.

Meredith scoffed, shaking her head. "I know all about you, Severus. Just because you were a loser when you were at Hogwarts, just as you are now...doesn't give you the right to make other people miserable," she gritted her teeth, "I know of your past as well, Severus. Death Eaters don't ever stop being Death Eaters...you may have Dumbledore fooled, but I see right through your worthless mask," she spat at him before walking away, "I hope you die alone."

Snape grabbed her arm roughly, slamming her up against the wall so hard he knocked shelves down and glasses shattered on the floor around their feet. "Don't _ever_ talk to me like that again, just because you are no longer a student doesn't mean that you can get away with such cheek...as you already know. Tell me, does Lucius know you're still alive? Does he realize the grunt he sent to kill your family failed in killing you? Perhaps I should tell him, and he could send someone to finish the job...maybe they can dispatch your little lover Lupin as well," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

Meredith stared at him with unreadable eyes, trying to make it seem that she was unaffected by what he was saying. "Is that all, Snivellus?" She said, smirking arrogantly, "Because I'd like to leave now," she took advantage of the shock of using the very nickname James Potter used to wrench her arm out of his grip and storm out of the dungeons. Once she was safely back in Hogsmeade, she sent a message to Lupin and ran back to her room at the Three Broomsticks to tell Sirius what had just happened.

"And then he threatened to tell Lucius to send someone to kill me, and Remus too," Meredith said, trying very hard to keep herself calm, when in reality she was shaking with fear. "I mean, if he's really changed, he wouldn't say that...would he?"

"I can't believe he threatened you like that," Sirius said, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's...disgusting, you should probably tell Dumbledore."

"Tell Dumbledore what?" Lupin said, emerging from the corner of the room where he had just Apparated.

Meredith jumped, startled by Lupin's sudden appearance. "Uh," she began, before once again repeating the story. "And then I called him Snivellus, and I left," she finished, causing Sirius to laugh out loud.

"You never told me you called him that," he said once he had calmed down. His cheerful laughter died when he took in Lupin's expression.

"I think you should tell Dumbledore all of this, Meredith, including your family's involvement with the Malfoys," Lupin said gravely, his expression unreadable.

"Will you come with me?" Meredith asked, looking at him with eyes full of fear and suddenly acting very childlike. She walked over to him and took his hands in hers and wrapped them around her like she was trying to protect herself from something.

Lupin responded by wrapping his arms around her tightly and holding her close to him. "Of course," he whispered into her ear, resting his head upon her shoulder.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day Meredith and Lupin went up to the castle early in the morning to speak to Dumbledore. With encouragement from Lupin, Meredith repeated the story of what happened when she confronted Snape. "And then...he threatened me. He said, '_Tell me, does Lucius know you're still alive? Does he realize the grunt he sent to kill your family failed in killing you? Perhaps I should tell him, and he could send someone to finish the job.' _What do you think I should do, Sir?" She said, pointedly leaving out the part about 'little-lover' Lupin.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers, drumming them against his chin thoughtfully. "Well, the obvious thing is to go into hiding, I have ways of making it so no Death Eater could find you," he said, standing up from his chair, "but I do not think that will be necessary. I believe Severus was just...angry. I do not think he meant what he said."

"But you didn't _see_ his face, Dumbledore, he looked like he wanted to kill me," Meredith said, her hands shaking in her lap. "It was terrifying; how can you be sure of his allegiance?"

"I have reasons to believe Severus has indeed changed, despite what you may think," Dumbledore said vaguely, resting his hands on his desk.

"Sir," Lupin said, speaking up for the first time, "what about Lucius Malfoy? Don't you think Meredith is in danger now that he knows of her survival?" He put his hands on Meredith shoulders and squeezed them tightly.

Dumbledore stared at Meredith with such intensity it felt as if he was trying to read her mind. She blinked a few times, staring unflinchingly back at him until he spoke again. "Do you believe you're in danger, Meredith?" He asked.

Meredith shrugged, "I-I honestly have no idea, sir, I don't remember much about Lucius...I don't know what he could do. It's impossible for me to guess," she said nervously, clenching her hands together. "But...my gut says that he won't try anything...right now."

"But you don't _know _that for sure, Meredith," Lupin said, squeezing her shoulders again.

"I'm not going to go into hiding because of something Severus said when I provoked him!" Meredith said, turning around to face him, momentarily forgetting that they were sitting in Dumbledore's office. "Besides, it's not like I'm alone at the Three Broomsticks! Sirius is..." She stopped herself, staring at Lupin in terror, her eyes scanning Dumbledore's face for a reaction.

"There's no need to look so terrified, Meredith, I know that Sirius is with you at the Three Broomsticks. I also know that he is innocent," Dumbledore said, giving her a small smile.

Meredith heaved a great sigh of relief, smiling back. "I found him wandering the streets of Hogsmeade a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't let him starve on the streets when I was sitting in a comfortable room," she said, shrugging. "Though...now that I do not have a job...there's no reason for me to be here."

"Surely you want to stay for the Tournament and support Harry and Cedric," Dumbledore said, leaning into his chair.

"I was going to stay anyway, Sirius wants to be near Harry," Meredith said, smiling. There was a frenzied knock at the door and was followed by a voice that made Meredith cringe; Professor Snape had just walked into the room. Doing her best not to even regard his existence, she said good-bye to Dumbledore and walked out with Lupin, clutching his hand so tightly on the way out she nearly broke it.

Lupin wrenched his hand out of her grip once they reached the edge of the grounds, walking along the path to Hogsmeade. "I think you broke my hand," he said jokingly, massaging his knuckles.

"Sorry, it was either squeeze the shit out of your hand or punch Severus in the face in front of Dumbledore," Meredith smirked, grabbing his hand once more, though this time she had a considerably softer grip.

"I wouldn't have been opposed to seeing you punch Severus in the face," Lupin said, smiling, "but...are you sure about what you said in there...about Lucius?"

"Well," Meredith said, biting her lip and running her thumb along his aching knuckles gently, "from what I _do_ remember about Lucius in my childhood...he was always nice to me, treated me like I was his own. I have to trust the fact that he's _relieved_ that I'm still alive, and not furious."

"Isn't that a little...foolish?" Lupin said gently, "I mean, Lucius is a Death Eater...he's done horrible things to people."

Meredith shook her head, "I know he has, Remus, but it's either believe that he won't do anything or fly into a panic and go into hiding like a hermit crab...and I refuse to do that," she said firmly.

Lupin smirked, "You're very stubborn, you know that right?" He said.

"But that's all a part of why you love me," Meredith countered, nudging him with her hip playfully.

"It is," Lupin nodded in agreement, pushing the door to her room open with his hand and letting her pass through first.

Sirius was sitting by the window reading the _Daily Prophet_ when they walked in. "Can you believe this stuff they're writing about Harry in the _Prophet_," he shook his head, slamming the newspaper down on the table. "How'd it go with Dumbledore?"

Meredith shook her head, "I don't think there's any cause for alarm; Lucius wouldn't try anything during the Tournament, there's too many Ministry officials hanging around," she said.

"Speaking of the Tournament, when's the first task?" Lupin asked.

"There's about a week left, Charlie and his friends have had some trouble bringing the dragons over from Romania," Meredith said, smiling wryly. "I _can't_ believe Snape fucking got me fired, miserable git," she grabbed the glass next to her and threw it against the wall in anger. "I _loved_ that job; it was amazing! Working for Ludo...I hate Snape, I _hate_ him!"

Sirius cracked up with laughter, "You along with the rest of us," he grinned, picking up the shattered remains of the glass.

"He ruined my career! I was _this close_ to becoming the youngest Auror ever inducted in three and a half centuries!" Meredith shouted, standing up and knocking the entire pot of tea onto the floor. "This isn't something to laugh about! He ruined my life, I don't have a job anymore! I mean...I can live on what my parents left me but still...ugh, you should have seen the look on Ludo's face when he came to tell me I was fired...he was looking at me like I was a monster." Tears welled up in her eyes and her bottom lip began to tremble as she threatened to break down.

Lupin crossed the room in two quick strides and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his chest and broke into heaving sobs, her hands clutching his arms for support. Sirius stood by the door, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets and busying himself with examining his face in the mirror.

After a few moments Meredith wrenched herself out of Lupin's arms and wiped her eyes, managing a shaky laugh. "L-look at me...getting all worked up, crying like a baby...b-being silly," she said, turning toward the mirror and wiping the smeared make-up out of her eyes.

Sirius and Lupin exchanged an awkward glance, both of them unsure of what to say. "I'm...going to go get a drink at the bar," Meredith said, walking out of the room before either of them could say anything to protest.

"You should probably go talk to her, Moony," Sirius said, "I think she needs you now."

Lupin pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh, "She's just going to act like nothing is wrong," he said, "she's not one to talk about her emotions like that."

Sirius smiled, "Well, sometimes people need a nudge in the right direction," he said, "go and talk to her."

Lupin nodded, "All right, I'll go talk to her," he said, walking down to the bar, spotting Meredith at the bar alone, stirring her drink vaguely. He walked over to her and put his hand on the small of her back and taking the barstool next to her. "I came to see how you were doing," he said.

Meredith forced a smile, "I'm fine," she said evenly, though behind her calm demeanor Lupin could sense her hurt and anger.

"We both know that's not true," Lupin said quietly, leaning towards her and speaking into her ear. "Talk to me."

Meredith sighed, propping her elbows on the bar and holding her head in her hands. "I hate this," she said, her voice muffled by her hands.

"Hate what?" Lupin asked, putting his arm around her protectively.

"Everything. Being a monster...a-a freak that people are afraid to talk to...being an outcast," Meredith said with a shaky voice, "I hate the werewolf that did this to me...I hate Lucius Malfoy for sending him to do it...I hate Severus for ruining my one shot at having a normal life."

Lupin sighed, scooting his barstool closer to hers and putting both arms around her, "you're not a freak," he said quietly, resting his chin on her shoulder, "you're a wonderful person. You're brilliant, talented, gorgeous; you're perfect," he smiled, seeing her cheeks flush with color, "and don't let anyone tell you different."

Meredith smiled, reaching her hand up and lacing her fingers with Lupin's. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely audible. With her free hand she brought her glass up to her lips and finished the last of her brandy. "You're pretty wonderful yourself, there, Remus."

Lupin chuckled, taking her hand and jumping off his barstool. "Come, I suspect Sirius will be getting lonely up in the room by himself," he said, pulling her off of her stool.

* * *

A/N: This was just a filler, mostly...so that's why it was kind of...boring. Sorry. The next chapter will be much, much better ;)


	13. Chapter 13

The day of the first task arrived and Meredith was digging through her trunk trying to find a clean pair of socks. Sirius was watching her with an amused expression, trying not to laugh as she began muttering to herself violently. "Uh, looking for these?" He asked, pulling a balled up pair of socks from behind the bed, where he had been hiding them the entire time.

"Sirius! Give me those," she jumped onto the bed and grabbed them from his hand and shoving them on her feet. "God, I'm going to be late...where is Remus?" she said all of this very quickly, running across the room to pull on her sneakers, using her wand to tie the laces.

"Relax, I'm here," Lupin said, Apparating next to Sirius, casually sticking his wand in his pocket, "and we have about twenty minutes so you don't need to panic so much; we'll be fine."

Meredith smiled, her eyes softening as she made her way towards Lupin. She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. Sirius made a fake gagging noise, and Meredith laughed, "I just don't want to miss anything," Meredith said, fussing with the collar on Lupin's shirt, trying in vain to make it stay flat.

"We can leave now if you'd like," Lupin said, putting his arm around her shoulder and guiding her towards the door.

"I'll see you later, Sirius," Meredith waved, grinning at him before walking out the door with Lupin. They walked the long path from Hogsmeade to the entrance of the castle, a path Meredith had walked countless times during her educational career at Hogwarts. They made their way through the large crowd and managed to sit in the same tower as the Weasleys; Meredith sat between Arthur and Lupin, her hand squeezing Lupin's for dear life.

"You're breaking my hand again," Lupin whispered into her ear, struggling to get his hand free.

"Sorry," Meredith let go at once, clasping her hands together in her lap. "I'm just so nervous," she said, placing one of her hands on his knee. "I went to see the dragons the other day...vicious creatures, the lot of them."

"Well, you should know all about vicious creatures, shouldn't you Meredith?" Snape had just entered the tower and took a seat in the corner, and was eyeing Meredith and Lupin with great distaste.

Meredith squeezed Lupin's knee tightly, her fingers digging into his leg in an effort to keep herself from firing back at Snape. "I'm sorry," she whispered into Lupin's ear as he tensed underneath her hand, "I don't want to do something I'll regret to Severus." Lupin nodded wordlessly, letting out a deep sigh of relief when she let go of his knee.

Luckily Snape didn't have another chance to torment her because the first task was starting. After Ludo Bagman explained to the crowd what the Champions were going to do, the first champion--Cedric Diggory--entered the arena to battle his dragon. Meredith wasn't focusing on the commentary Bagman was giving, her mind totally committed to watching Cedric battle his dragon. Her hand flew back onto Lupin's leg, which she gave an extremely hard squeeze whenever Cedric had a close-call with the dragon; luck was on his side, though, for within the hour he managed to retrieve the egg without any major injuries.

"Oh, my God," Meredith's free hand covered her heart as she let out the breath she had been holding since Cedric entered the arena, "I don't think I can take three more Champions," she whispered to Lupin.

"You'll be fine," Lupin said, lacing his fingers with hers and squeezing her hand tightly. "He did very well."

Next was Fleur Delacour, who also managed to obtain the egg, but was injured worse than Cedric. After Fleur was Viktor, but Meredith couldn't focus on what Krum was doing because her mind was reeling from another component of the task; the dragons. Harry was going to have to battle the Hungarian Horntail, arguably the worst of the group of dragons Charlie had brought over. "I wonder what Harry is going to do," Meredith said softly, watching apprehensively as he entered the arena. "Come on, Harry, you can do this."

"_ACCIO FIREBOLT!" _

Ten minutes later Meredith uncovered her eyes and saw Harry clutching the golden egg, looking triumphant. "He did it, he really did it," Meredith stared in disbelief, grinning. She released the breath she had been holding when he first entered the arena and wrapped her arms around Lupin, hugging him tightly.

They were walking back through the corridors, enjoying the familiar air of excitement in the castle. "This place was like a second home to me," Meredith said, looking fondly around at her surroundings. All of a sudden everything went dark, and Meredith's hand was ripped out of Lupin's roughly. "REMUS!" She shouted, being taken through the darkness, struggling against whatever was dragging her across the corridor.

Somewhere behind her a door opened and she was thrown unceremoniously into the empty classroom. The moment Meredith was free she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the door, but a cry of "_Expelliarmus!" _caused her wand to fly out of her hand. Desperate for a way to escape, Meredith grabbed books off of the shelf and threw them with all of her might at the doorway, but they too were charmed and lazily fell to the floor. "WHO ARE YOU?!" Meredith shouted, "WHAT DO YOU WANT...Show yourself!"

Lucius Malfoy stepped from the shadows, twirling Meredith's wand between his fingers. "Ten years it's been," he said, walking around the room, "ten years of thinking you were dead..."

"Well, it's like I said back at the World Cup...sorry to disappoint you, but the werewolf you sent to finish us off didn't kill me," Meredith spat, "but if you'd like to finish the job now, I'm unarmed." She smirked, holding out her arms, giving him a wider target.

"No, my dear, I don't want to kill you," Lucius said quickly, his expression forming into something like concern. "I was...thrilled to see that you were alive at the World Cup. So thrilled. I loved you, and your parents, so much."

Meredith scoffed derisively, shaking her head in disbelief. "Oh _really_? Loved us, did you? Tell me...if you loved us why did you send that monster to kill us?"

"The Dark Lord...demanded it. He couldn't risk having your parents run off and telling his secrets," Lucius said, sitting on the edge of one of the tables in the classroom. "It was...the hardest thing I ever had to do." He seemed sincere, but Meredith wasn't about to cut him any slack.

"But you still did it, didn't you?" Meredith said, stepping closer to him boldly, "You sent that monster to kill everyone. I was _ten years old!_ I was innocent...and you sent us to slaughter. I hate you, Lucius Malfoy, I hate you with every fiber of my being. I hope that I'm still alive when you get captured by the Aurors. I want to be there when they send your sorry ass back to Azkaban. Now...tell me exactly why you brought me here, uncle Luce." She smirked, using the name she used to call him when she was a child.

Lucius flinched slightly, hurt flashing across his face. He cleared his throat before speaking, "I came to speak to you because I...Draco has told me all about you, he says you're quite talented."

Meredith smiled in spite of herself, "So? I'm brilliant...what's that got to do with you?" She stared at him skeptically.

"A new era is about to begin. The Dark Lord is well on his way to coming back, and the time to choose sides is almost upon us," Lucius said, continuing to twirl Meredith's wand between his fingers, "I came here to offer you a spot on the right side, on the winning side...when the time comes for battle. Join the Dark side, and prosper."

Meredith chuckled derisively, "'Join the Dark side and prosper?' Seriously, that's what you're going to say to me right now? You're absolutely mental, you really are," she said, shaking her head. She approached him and pulled her wand out of his hand before he had the chance to react. "I'll see you during that battle you mentioned," she winked at him and walked out the door, locking Lucius inside with her wand. Then she ran back to the Three Broomsticks, hoping Lupin was there and wasn't too worked up.

"Oh, my God, Meredith what happened? I was terrified," Lupin said, pulling her into his arms the moment she walked into the room.

"Remus...you're...choking me," Meredith said, pushing him away from her and laughing. "I'm fine," she said.

"But what happened to you? You disappeared, I was holding your hand and all of a sudden it went dark and you were gone," Lupin said, looking frenzied, his hair unruly like he had been pulling on it.

"I'll explain as soon as you calm down," Meredith said, pushing him into a chair next to Sirius, whose expression was grave and earnest. Meredith sat down on the bed facing them, and explained what happened in the empty classroom between herself and Lucius.

"So he said that the Dark Lord is 'well on his way to coming back'? What does that mean?" Sirius said, looking concerned.

"Did you tell Dumbledore about this?" Lupin said, moving to sit next to her on the bed, putting a protective arm around her shoulder.

"I don't know what it means, and I didn't tell Dumbledore about it. I wanted to but I was a little more concerned about getting out of there before Lucius could attack me," Meredith said honestly.

"I could go with you again, if you'd like," Lupin said, squeezing her shoulder tightly.

Meredith smiled at him, putting her hand on his knee and squeezing it back. "No, sweetheart, I think this is one visit I'd like to make privately," she said. "I'll go see him early tomorrow morning." Meredith looked at Sirius and smiled broadly, "You should have seen Harry during the task, Sirius, he was amazing."

Sirius grinned proudly, nodding, "I know, Remus was just telling me all about it. I wish I could have been there," he said, looking slightly down.

Meredith walked over to him and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You'll get to see him very soon, the Hogsmeade visit is scheduled for two weeks from tomorrow, so I'll be sure to bring him here and you guys could spend the day together and everything," she said, smiling.

Sirius smiled at this, "You're so amazing, Meredith," he looked up at Lupin, "I hope you're not taking her for granted, Moony." Sirius smiled at him, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Lupin grinned, "Trust me, I'm not," he said, walking over to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. "I love her very much."

Meredith grinned, kissing Lupin's hand and blushing furiously. "I love you too, Remus," she said. Then she walked into the bathroom, changed into her flannel pajamas and crawled into bed without saying another word to Lupin and Sirius.


	14. Chapter 14

Early the next morning, Meredith walked up to the castle and made her way to Professor McGonagall after realizing that she did not know the password to Dumbledore's office. "Er, Professor McGonagall, may I have a word with you? It's about something that happened to me yesterday," she said sheepishly, suddenly feeling like she was a student again.

"Certainly Meredith," McGonagall said, "come in." She motioned for her to sit down in the chair across from her desk.

Meredith smiled tentatively, her hands shaking slightly as she sat down. "Well, yesterday I was watching the Triwizard Tournament and afterwards Remus and I were walking through the castle and...all of a sudden it got dark and...I was pulled into a classroom by," Meredith gulped, "Lucius Malfoy, and he...well, he said some strange things to me about...You-Know-Who returning."

McGonnagall looked shocked, "You-Know-Who...returning? Meredith, I think you should talk to Professor Dumbledore, immediately," she said.

"Well, that's the other thing," Meredith said, smiling sheepishly, "I don't know what the password is...to get passed that gargoyle at the bottom of his staircase."

"I'll take you there...this is unpleasant news, most unpleasant," McGonagall said, shaking her head. She made her way to the door, beckoned Meredith to follow her and led her to Dumbledore's office, beating the all to familiar path through the castle. Once they arrived at the Headmaster's office, Meredith had begun to get nervous, her hands shaking and breath becoming more ragged.

"Albus? Meredith is here, and she has some...er, disturbing news," McGonagall said as they walked into the office, Meredith making a point to stand behind McGonagall, smiling innocently.

"And what news is this?" Dumbledore said, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin upon his hands.

Meredith stood stock-still, and didn't move until McGonagall nudged her forward, pushing her into the chair directly across from Dumbledore's. "Well, sir...," Meredith started hesitantly before diving right into the story she told McGonagall, repeating it verbatim. When she finished, Dumbledore stood up and walked over to Fawkes and stroked the phoenix's head for a moment.

"This is compelling information," Dumbledore said, beginning to pace behind his desk, drumming his fingers together in front of him, apparently deep in thought. Meredith glanced back at McGonagall, unsure if she should speak or stay silent. "Am I correct in assuming that you still have a dog staying with you at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Um, yes sir, you are correct in that assumption," Meredith said, after a moment of thought, "Why do you ask?"

"I would like you to bring that dog with you next time you come to talk with me," Dumbledore said, "and I'd like that to be soon; perhaps tomorrow, around eleven in the morning."

"All right, sir," Meredith said, nodding vigorously. She stood up and tilted her head in his direction, "I'll be sure to bring Siri--my dog to you tomorrow," she smiled and walked out of the office, carefully avoiding McGonagall's questioning stare. She walked with a frenzied pace back to the Three Broomsticks, eager to tell Sirius that Dumbledore wanted to see him. When she arrived at the Three Broomsticks, however, Sirius was fast asleep in his bed. She smirked and wandered down to the bar, hoping that Lupin was there. He was, and Meredith tip-toed silently until she was right behind him and gingerly placed her hands over his eyes.

"Hello, Meredith," Lupin said, grinning. He turned to face her and put his hands on her shoulders, guiding her to the barstool next to him. "How was the meeting with Dumbledore? What did he say?"

"Oh, he didn't really say much. He just said that I had to bring Sirius to his office tomorrow morning at eleven," Meredith shrugged, ordering a butterbeer.

Lupin looked intrigued, "What's he want with Sirius?" He said, swilling the contents of his glass around absentmindedly.

Meredith shrugged again, "I haven't got a clue, he just said to bring him with me," she said. "I was going to go tell him but he's upstairs sleeping. Drooling a little bit...it was kind of adorable actually," she chuckled, taking a large draft of her butterbeer, enjoying the sweetness of it.

"I'm kidding," she added, seeing the scandalized look on Lupin's face. "God, can't even make a joke with you anymore." Her smile faded and she gulped down the rest of her drink irritably. "I'm going to go see if Sirius is awake yet, excuse me," she got up and left the bar, angrily slamming the door behind her.

By the time she got up to the room Sirius was awake, pacing between the chairs and the bed anxiously. When she came in he flashed her a smile, "What did Dumbledore say?" he said, ending his pacing and sitting down on the mattress.

"Oh you know Dumbledore," Meredith said, "vague little allusions and statements. I told him about what Lucius said, and all he said was that he wants to see you tomorrow...he wants me to bring you up to his office tomorrow morning."

Sirius looked confused, "What's Dumbledore want with me?" He said, wringing his hands together.

Meredith shrugged, walking over to the teapot and pouring herself a cup of tea. "I have no idea, he just told me to bring you to his office tomorrow around eleven o'clock," she said, settling herself in a chair and blowing on her tea to cool it off.

At that moment Lupin walked into the room, looking contrite. Meredith glared, but continued to sip her tea without saying a word. Sirius noted the change in the atmosphere and awkwardly stood up, "I'll...leave you two alone," he said, changing into his dog form and left through the door Lupin left partially open.

"What. Do you. Want," Meredith spoke through gritted teeth, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor next to Sirius' bed, refusing to meet Lupin's eye.

Lupin sighed, walking over to her and taking the chair next to her and moving it so he was sitting right in front of her. "Look, Meredith, I don't understand why you're mad at me. But whatever it is, I'm sorry," he said.

Meredith laughed, "How could you apologize for something that you did that you don't even know you did? That's ridiculous," she said, putting her cup of tea down on the table and crossing her arms and giving him a glare that was so reminiscent of Professor McGonagall that Lupin visibly shuddered.

"Then tell me what I did," Lupin said, tenderly placing his hands over hers and looking directly into her eyes, hoping his sincerity would show through.

Despite all of her attempts to remain angry with him, when he looked into her eyes her heart melted; she smiled and laced her fingers with his. "It's nothing really...I just...made a dumb joke and got mad because you took it seriously. I guess it just...reminded me of how you were always second-guessing me and thinking I was going to cheat on you with every attractive man that walked into my life. It's really frustrating and insulting when you say things like that to me...when you assume that I'm going to cheat on you, Remus, it hurts. I love you, and only you. That's a promise," even as she said this, a pang of guilt shot through her heart as she remembered the kisses she shared with Charlie.

Lupin smiled, bringing her hands to his lips and kissing them softly. "I'm sorry, I know that must hurt you it's just...I'm not really used to this...having someone...you know, be in love with me. It's really great and everything it's just...I've been shunned by society my whole entire life and it's just..."

"Look, Remus, I know exactly what you're talking about," Meredith said with a smile, "I'm a werewolf too, remember? Why do you think I worked so hard to perpetuate the story that I'm not really a werewolf? It's because I _knew_ that people would freak out, and I couldn't stand that happening. It hurts too much. You know that I don't talk to most of my family? That aunt that you met, Isadora? She's the only one I still talk to...and I have six aunts. None of them can stand to be in the same room with me...the reason why I fell for you so quickly after I found out that you were a werewolf too is...well, I knew you'd understand, I knew you would be able to help me. And you did...you showed me that I was beautiful, and that just because I was a werewolf that didn't make me a horrible person. You changed my life, just by existing," she took his hands and wrapped them around her own waist as she moved to sit on his lap.

Lupin grinned, pulling her into his lap and looking up into her eyes. "You don't think you changed my life, too? The moment you walked into my classroom I knew...I knew that you were different...that you were a werewolf."

"Only 'cause Dumbledore told you; he never told me that there was another werewolf in the castle," Meredith interjected, smirking.

"Bottom line, you changed my life in every way you just said that I changed yours," Lupin reached up to caress the side of her face--something that he loved to do.

Meredith kissed his hand, then leaned toward him and planting a soft kiss on his lips. It was slow, but it built quickly. Before she knew it he was picking her up and bringing her over to the bed. He was just about to rip her shirt off when she stopped him, "Sirius," she said, jumping up and opening the bedroom door to find him sitting outside in the hallway, looking bored. Meredith sighed in relief, "Come back in an hour," she said, grinning wickedly.

Sirius returned to the room exactly one hour later, slamming his paws against the door in his vain attempt to knock. Moments later Meredith walked over to the door and opened it, wrapped up only in a bedsheet, her hair disheveled and her eyes slightly glazed over. Once Sirius returned to his human form he was laughing, glancing from Meredith to Lupin, who was laying on the bed, in a deep sleep. "Looks like you did a number on poor ol' Remus there," he said, grinning.

Meredith blushed furiously, a broad grin on her face. "A little bit, I suppose," she said, grabbing her pajamas and pulling them on quickly. "It's quite late, maybe we should just go to bed and get an early start tomorrow."

Sirius smirked, "You just don't want to wake him up, do you?" He said.

"Not really, plus...I'm exhausted too," she winked at him before crawling back into bed with Lupin and falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning around ten Meredith woke up and threw her pillow at Sirius, who was still sleeping. She walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower, and by the time she walked back into the room Sirius was up and changed into a fresh set of clothes. "Thanks a lot for the clothes, by the way, I don't know if I said that already," he said, smiling.

Meredith smiled back, buttoning up her shirt and tightening her belt. "It's no problem, Sirius, really," she said, "honestly, I just got tired seeing you in the same clothes every day," she joked.

Sirius chuckled, pulling a sweater on over his head. He looked over at Lupin, who was still sleeping soundly under the blankets. "He was always up before me in school, you must have exhausted him," he smirked deviously, walking over to the door before changing into his dog form.

"You're disgusting," she said, putting her hand on his head and scratching it as they walked through High Street on their way to the castle. "You know, I was thinking about something the other day," she said, talking to Sirius; he looked up at her questioningly. "You probably don't have a wand, do you?" The dog shook his head, so Meredith continued, "I could go to Ollivander's, pretend I lost my wand and get you a new one."

Once they got to Dumbledore's office Sirius changed back into his human form. "Really, Meredith? You'd do that?" He said, looking surprised.

"Do what, may I ask?" Dumbledore said, catching their attention as he walked out of the shadows of the bookshelves behind his desk.

"Oh, I was...going to go to Ollivander's and get Sirius a new wand," Meredith said, suddenly looking self-conscious. "Say I lost my old one, and just give the new one to Sirius."

Dumbledore looked just as surprised as Sirius did when she told him. "That is an excellent idea. I was actually going to suggest you do that. He's going to need a wand soon anyway," he said, popping a yellow-ish candy into his mouth.

Meredith and Sirius exchanged looks of trepidation, "What do you mean, sir," Meredith said, eyeing Dumbledore suspiciously, "what was it that you wanted to speak to Sirius about?"

"Sirius, you still have the house on Grimmauld place, correct?" Dumbledore said, drumming his fingertips together rhythmically.

"Yes, but I haven't been there since I was sixteen," Sirius said, suddenly looking uncomfortable, "why?"

"Well, if what Meredith told me yesterday is true about Voldemort, and coupled with the threats she's received from Lucius I believe she is in danger, as well as you, Sirius," Dumbledore said, "by now Pettigrew has told the still-loyal Death Eaters about your survival and of your Animagus form, so you can't expect to use that disguise for much longer. So I am proposing that you and Meredith live there, we can put numerous protective charms on it, adding to the ones that are already present."

"No one has lived there since my parents died," Sirius said, "I don't think it's in any state to have people living in it. I mean, Kreacher is still living there but I don't think he's done much since they died."

"Meredith and yourself are both extremely talented wizards, I'm sure you both can handle the task of fixing it up," Dumbledore said, "I believe this is the best option for the both of you."

Sirius glanced at Meredith, who stared stone-faced at Dumbledore and seemed unable to speak. "What do you think, Meredith?" He said with a slight smile.

Meredith shrugged, "Sure, I mean, if you think it's a good idea sir," she said, nodding towards Dumbledore. "When should we start?"

"As soon as you can," Dumbledore said, "I believe this would be the best option for both of you."

Meredith and Sirius glanced at each other, smiling tentatively. "All right, um, well Sirius, we should probably get back," she said, standing up and making her way to the door. Before they exited his office, Meredith turned to ask Dumbledore another question. "Sir, you don't think...You-Know-Who is really going to come back, do you?"

Dumbledore's face was inscrutable as always, but when he spoke there was a touch of sadness in his voice. "I do believe that it is entirely possible, Meredith. If what Lucius told you is true, then I think he will return...sooner than any of us would like."

Meredith sighed, scratching Sirius' head as he turned into a dog and walked over to her. "Thanks, sir, for being honest," she said, giving him a small smile before leaving his office. Meredith didn't speak for the rest of the walk back to Hogsmeade, until she stopped outside the door of their room. "You know, Sirius, for the first time in my life, I'm finding myself wishing that Dumbledore is wrong."

"Me too," Sirius said after they walked into the room and locked the door.

Lupin was finally awake, and he was sitting at the table drinking tea and reading the _Daily Prophet_ with a slight frown on his face. He looked up when he heard Sirius' voice and he smiled.

"What are you guys talking about? What did Dumbledore say?" Lupin said, folding the _Prophet_ in half and setting it down on the table.

Meredith looked at Sirius smiling timidly, wrapping her arms around herself. Neither one of them spoke for a while, until finally Meredith worked up the courage to speak. "Dumbledore says that...if what Lucius told me yesterday about You-Know-Who then Sirius and I are in danger and we should...well, go into hiding," she started, then looked to Sirius to finish the story.

Sirius nodded once, then continued. "He thinks that Meredith and I should...go back to my mother's house and...live there. Since, you know, I'm the only living member of the Black family still alive, so technically the house is mine. He says he'll put protective charms on the house and...we'll be safe there," he said.

Lupin shifted his eyes from Sirius to Meredith, who seemed to be preoccupied with the loose threads on the sleeve of her sweater. "So is...that what you're you going to do?" He said, taking a few tentative steps towards Meredith.

"I-I guess so, I mean, Dumbledore thinks that it's a good idea, so...," Meredith said quietly, shrugging. She bit her lip, searching for a reason to leave the room. Sirius seemed to sense her urgency, and rose to the occasion beautifully.

"Hey...Meredith, perhaps you should go to Ollivander's before the store closes...we can start working on Grimmauld Place tomorrow," Sirius said, briefly touching her shoulder.

Meredith smiled gratefully, nodding. "Yes, perhaps I should," she made her way out of the room before Lupin could say anything to her; the last thing she needed was to have him force her to talk about her feelings. After making sure he hadn't followed her, she made her way to the Shrieking Shack, the one place she knew she could be alone. She walked all the way up the stairs and sat in the room where only four months prior she met Sirius for the first time. As soon as she sat down on the decaying mattress on the floor she gave in to the convulsing sobs she tried so hard to keep to herself for the past week.

All of the pressure and anger she experienced over the past few weeks flowed through her tears, as if she was cleansing herself. Meredith sobbed uncontrollably for about twenty minutes before her tears dissolved into short, shallow breaths; she wiped the tear tracks off of her face and Apparated to Diagon Alley and went to Ollivander's to get a replacement wand for Sirius. "Hello, Mr. Ollivander? Are you here?" She opened the door and leaned across the counter tentatively.

"What brings you here, Miss Douglas?" Ollivander said, wiping his hands on a cloth and coming out from one of the many shelves containing wand boxes.

Meredith smiled, putting on the face of a guilty teenager. "Well, I...my wand broke...my friends and I had a little too much Firewhisky one night and when I woke up it was snapped in half," she said.

"Ah, that is most unfortunate. Maple and Phoenix feather, seven inches, very swishy, great for Charms if I remember correctly," Ollivander said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He stared at Meredith for a moment, with an intensity that made Meredith feel as though she was being x-rayed. "Perhaps..." he tapped his finger on his chin and disappeared behind a pile of boxes, pulling one from the top shelf. "Yes, yes...Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, rather springy," he handed the wand to Meredith.

Once again, Meredith felt a warmth spread through her fingers that she hadn't felt since she was eleven and she got her first wand. "Wow, I remember last time we went through about ten wands before I was chosen by one," she said, smiling at Ollivander.

"Well, it is much easier to choose a replacement wand, when I know the properties of your previous wand," Ollivander said, placing the box underneath the box where he kept the money he received, "seven gold galleons, please."

Meredith counted out the coins and placed them on the counter, "Thank you, sir," she said before leaving. Once she was a safe distance away from the store she Disapparated and walked up High Street to the Three Broomsticks. "Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches," she said as she tossed the new wand to Sirius.

Sirius grinned, pointing the wand at the teapot, muttering a spell and it immediately shot steam out of the spout. "Wonderful, thank you Meredith," he said, clapping her on the back.

Lupin put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. He leaned his head down and spoke into her ear. "Are you all right? You were gone for a while," he said quietly.

Meredith shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm fine, I just walked around Diagon Alley for a while...stopped in at the Quality Quidditch Supplies store to check out the new Firebolt," she said, breaking free from his arms and pouring herself a cup of tea and added a large helping of brandy to the steaming cup. She sipped it and smiled contentedly, sitting down in the chair Sirius had just vacated. She watched Sirius accustom himself with the new wand for a while before yawning. She snuck into her bed without saying a word to Lupin or Sirius and passed out almost instantly, her twenty-minute crying jag exhausted her as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

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A/N: Hey guys, sorry its taken me so long to post anything...I've actually had this chapter on my computer for a few weeks but for some reason I haven't posted it until now. Hope you liked it, I'm looking forward to reviews :)


	16. Chapter 16

Over the next month Sirius and Meredith waged an intense cleansing war upon Grimmauld place; at least, that's what it felt like to Meredith. Every day they woke up early and set out to clean one room completely; first they cleaned a bedroom for each of them, then tackled the kitchen, which actually took about three days to completely clean. One morning Meredith was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee, when Sirius came bounding in. The second Meredith caught his eye she knew she was in trouble; he had that look in his eye that he only had when he wanted to talk. Meredith knew what it was about, too; ever since they left Hogsmeade village she had barely spoken to Lupin.

"Look, Meredith...I really think you should talk to Remus," Sirius said, sitting down next to her, "he's really...he's worried about you."

"Worried about me? Why? What did you say to him?" Meredith said all of this very quickly since she was a bit keyed-up from drinking a whole pot of coffee by herself.

Sirius smirked, gently pushing the coffee cup away from her. "I didn't say anything to him," he said, scooting closer to her, "you haven't spoken to him in almost three and a half weeks, I mean, if I were him I'd think something was wrong. Now, I know you hate talking about your emotions or anything serious but...come on. What's going on with you and him?"

Meredith sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. "There's nothing going on between Remus and I, it's got nothing to do with him," she said vaguely, reaching for the coffee cup again.

"Well, what is it then? Meredith, honestly, you're both two of my close friends, and I really hate seeing this," Sirius said honestly, "I want to help you, but you have to tell me what's going on."

"All right," Meredith said dejectedly, slamming both of her hands down on the table. "I'm mad because I'm stuck in this house all goddamned day-nothing against you, of course-it's just that...I hate being cooped up in one spot for more than a few hours. I mean, seriously, I haven't left this house in almost three weeks. And it seems like we're not making any progress on making this house livable again. I mean, we've got bedrooms, sure, but...there's just too much. _And_ I'm scared shitless about the prospect of You-Know-Who returning, seeing as he's the one who orchestrated the slaughter of my whole family. I want to help, Sirius, I do...but I don't see how I'm going to be useful to _anything_ if I'm stuck here all the time," she ranted, slamming her fists on the table and holding her head in her hands. "I feel helpless, and I hate that," she added, lacing her fingers behind her head, much like a Muggle who was being arrested.

Sirius was about to say something, but it appeared that Meredith was on a tirade because she cut across him. "And I'm sorry that I don't like to talk about things like this...because when I was a child I was discouraged from showing any kind of emotion...in fact I was punished for it when I did...you know, when I was seven I told my dad I loved him and he laughed at me...he _laughed _at me. And I asked him if he loved me too and he said, "No, you're actually kind of annoying" and when I went to tell my mom she slapped me. She slapped me because I interrupted her meeting with Narcissa Malfoy for god-knows-what. So ever since I was young I've always kept things to myself. And now Remus, and YOU too...you're trying to get me to talk about my feelings and things like that...it's maddening," she said, standing up and pouring a large amount of brandy into her coffee, still fuming.

"Meredith," Sirius said soothingly, reaching over and taking the cup from her and pouring the contents down the sink before she could protest. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...All I was going to say was that I completely agree with you. I hate being stuck here all the time. Granted being stuck with you makes it a little easier," she cracked a smile at this, "but I understand what you're saying. You just...I think Remus needs to hear that too, because he needs to understand you. He really, truly cares for you, Meredith, and he just wants to help you."

Meredith smiled, "I'll talk to him, thank you Sirius," she said, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Is there another fireplace I can use or should I just use this one?" She said, pointing with her thumb to the fireplace behind them.

"You should use this one," Sirius said, backing out of the kitchen, "I'll let you...talk to him alone."

"I was actually going to tell him to come here, if that's all right," Meredith said, "I never really got the hang of talking through fireplaces. I always singe my hair."

Sirius chuckled, "All right, it'll be good to see him anyway," he said, closing the door behind him and giving her some space.

Meredith got down on her knees, threw the Floo Powder in the fire and shouted Lupin's address, grinning broadly when she saw Lupin in his living room reading, something she imagined he did a lot. "Hey, Remus honey," she said, trying to catch his attention.

Lupin put his book down and looked wildly around the room for a second before settling on the fireplace, looking confused. "Oh, Meredith, what are you doing?" He said, kneeling down beside the fire.

"I just...I was talking to Sirius and I wanted to see if you...wouldn't mind, uh, coming over here?" Meredith said nervously, feeling as if she was in school again. "I would talk through the fireplace but my knees are starting to hurt."

Lupin smiled, amused by her nervousness. "Yeah, sure, I'll be right over," he said, getting up and going over to the desk and picking up his wand, turning on the spot and Disapparating.

Meredith turned around just in time to see him walk through the door shaking droplets of rain off of his cloak. "Oh, it's raining," she said, smiling slightly, "I love it when it rains."

"It's only just started," Lupin said, tossing his cloak onto a chair and sitting down by the same fire they had just spoken through a few moments ago. He ran his hands through his damp hair, pushing it out of his face. "Look, Meredith, I love you, I think you're amazing, really, but I don't think it could work between us anymore," Lupin said, heaving a heavy sigh and biting his bottom lip.

Meredith looked at him, a flash of shock moving across her face; she was truly devastated. It was a while before she could speak, and even then her voice was shaky. All she could choke out was a weak, "Why?" in response. She gripped her hands together, trying to keep herself calm.

"We can't ignore the problems, Meredith. No matter how much we try to sweep them under the carpet," Lupin said, "the age difference, and we fight all the time."

"We only fight because you don't trust me. You don't believe that I love you and Remus, honestly, that hurts," she said, "but we can work on that, honey. You need to believe me. I don't understand why you think that I'm going to cheat on you. And the age difference, I don't understand why you keep harping on it. I told you I didn't care, you should either."

Lupin sighed, "Meredith, you're misunderstanding me," he said.

"No, I understand perfectly," Meredith said, standing up and leaning against the counter, "did Molly Weasley have anything to do with this?"

In a few moments silence, she got all the information she needed to know; Molly must've talked to him, gotten inside his head. But of course Lupin denied it, "No, Meredith, honestly, I've been thinking about this for a while," he said.

Meredith scoffed, stepping out of his reach as he tried to take her hand, "You know what? Fine. I'm tired of trying to convince you of the truth. If you want to be an idiot and ruin a perfectly great relationship-"

"Perfectly great? Meredith, this is the first time we've talked in the past three and a half weeks," Lupin said, "and we're fighting."

Meredith chuckled, "we're only fighting because you started it! You brought all of this up. I was going to talk to you, pour my soul out to you, tell you WHY I've been distant, and you're turning it around on me," she groaned, "you're so...ugh, impossible. Fine. Its over. We're done," she said, getting up and walking out of the kitchen.

Lupin followed, "So, what? That's it?" he asked.

"Its what you wanted, isn't it? That's what you came here to do, right? Nice, clean break? Well, you've got it," Meredith said, stomping up the stairs to her bedroom, where she stayed for the rest of the night, ignoring Sirius' many pleas to open the door.

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A/N: So there you go...broke my heart to tear them apart like this but I felt like it had to happen...plus my dearest friend Roxr can be quite persuasive ;) Sooo anyway I hope you enjoyed Chapter 16, the next one I think will be quite good as well.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hey guys, sorry its taken me sooo long to update, I've been a bit busy and kind of stuck in an evil sickness I'd like to call writers block. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try to have something up soon! :)

As always, I would LOVE to hear suggestions and anything you have to say so PLEASE feel free to write reviews or send me a message.

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It had been a week since the break-up and Meredith hadn't left her room, not even for food or water. Finally on the eighth day Sirius literally broke down her bedroom door, his arms filled with plates of food and pitchers of water, "Meredith this is ridiculous," Sirius said as he sat down next to her, "you need to snap out of this, you're killing yourself."

Meredith looked over at him, her eyes cold and distant, she eyed him like one would a homeless person. Soon she grabbed the biscuit from one of the plates and bit a huge chunk of it off, "I didn't mean to scare you," she said quietly, her tone sarcastic.

"Look Meredith, I know what you're going through...losing someone you love," Sirius said, his eyes distant, "when I went to Hogwarts with James, Remus and Peter we were all friends with this girl...her name was Joanna...she was, insanely beautiful, almost like a veela. She had this beautiful brown hair-almost like yours, and these gorgeous brown eyes...she always hated them, though, she was jealous of Lily's green eyes, but I always thought her eyes were beautiful...we met in our first year, but she was in Slytherin so we didn't talk all that much."

"But...if she was in Slytherin how were you guys all friends with her? And how did you fell in love with her?" Meredith asked, genuinely curious.

Sirius ran his hands through his hair and leaned forward to stare into the fire as if the story was written there, "in our third year we found her sitting in a compartment by herself...we walked in...intending to torment her about being a Slytherin but when we saw her...she was...covered in bruises and cuts," Sirius looked over at her, "her family was steeped in the Dark Arts, and they tortured and beat her, trying to manipulate her into becoming like them...at that moment I knew that her and I were the same, exactly alike...and from that moment on the five of us were inseparable. In our sixth year we started seriously dating, but we kept it a secret from our friends until our seventh."

"What happened? How did you lose her?" Meredith asked.

Sirius pursed his lips together in a pained expression; for the first time since she met him Meredith thought he was going to cry. "It was the summer after we all left Hogwarts and we were at James' house, celebrating her birthday when...we were attacked...a bunch of Death Eaters came and decimated the house, then Joanna vanished. I don't know if she...ran away, or if they kidnapped her. But that was the last time any one of us ever saw her." He hung his head in sorrow, covering his face with his hands.

Meredith stared at him in surprise, scooting over to him she put her arms around his shoulders and held him. She knew he was crying, but didn't acknowledge that fact other then just holding him. After a moment she sighed, "I'm really sorry that happened to you, Sirius, I really am," she said quietly, getting up and pouring herself a glass of water but then handed it to Sirius instead. They sat together the rest of the night...not really talking about anything of consequence-Quidditch mostly...but ever since that night Meredith and Sirius became close friends, but even after the meaningful talk they shared Meredith still holed herself in her room and refused to leave.

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After another three weeks of bringing food up to Meredith and trying to get her to open up to him Sirius was at his wits end. He decided to call in reinforcements, and the only person he could think of that she would possibly open up to was Charlie Weasley. He wrote him an owl explaining the situation and asked him for his help...three days after he sent the owl Charlie showed up on his doorstep with a shiny burn on one of his arms and a concerned look on his face. "Where is she?" He asked as he walked into the house, taking off his traveling cloak.

Sirius showed him the way to Meredith's bedroom, then left to sit in the kitchen to wait and see how effective Charlie would be.

Charlie pushed the door open quietly and found Meredith laying on her bed, a half-eaten cookie in her hand and her arm over her eyes. He walked over to the bed and sat next to her, lifting up her arm and putting it down on the bed so he could get a look at her. He smiled and pushed her hair away from her face, "Sirius must be really scared if he's resorted to calling me in to talk to you...come on, Meredith, it's been almost a month...don't you think you should get up and, I don't know, live?" He said.

Meredith looked up at Charlie for a moment, a sort of confused look on her face like she didn't know who he was. After a few moments of staring at him this way she turned on her side and faced away from him, her eyes now focused on a spider on the wall. Charlie didn't give up that easily though, and he jumped over to the other side of the bed so she was forced to look at him. Finally she sat up and smiled, "you know, Charlie, there's no need to worry about me. I'm fine...I've just come to grips with the fact that I lost the closest thing to a soul mate that I'll ever find," she said.

Charlie put his hand underneath her chin, lifting her face up so their eyes were level with each others...he had almost forgotten how beautiful and deep her eyes were, almost like hooks in the way that they dug themselves into his heart. "Meredith, you know that's not true. I know break-ups are rough, especially when...especially when you think you've found the one for you but...believe me when I say that there is someone else out there for you...someone a million times better than Remus ever will be," he said sincerely, bringing his hand up to run his fingers across the scar on her face.

Meredith brought her hand up and laced her fingers with his, smiling gently as she did so. "Thank you, Charlie, for saying that," she said, "tell Sirius I'm sorry for alarming him...I'll be down for dinner tonight, if he still would like my company," she said.

Charlie's smile broadened as he squeezed her hand, and he made a move to get up when he stopped as if suddenly remembering something. He sat back down and took her hands in his once more, "Meredith, there's uh...something I've wanted to ask you...you see, a part of the tradition of the Triwizard Tournament there's going to be a ball around Christmas time and...Dumbledore's said that if I wanted to go I could and um...I was wondering if," he paused, biting his lip nervously.

Meredith grinned, chuckling slightly at his nervousness. "You're asking me to go to the ball with you, aren't you Charlie?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Yes, I s'pose I am," Charlie said, a nervous smile on his face, "so...what do you say? Would you go with me, Meredith?"

Meredith leaned in closer to him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, then smiled, "Of course, Charlie, I'd love to go with you," she said, "I'll have to find myself a dress now, I suppose."

Charlie let out a sigh of relief and grinned again, getting up from the bed after kissing her cheek sweetly. "The ball is in two weeks, I'll be here to pick you up around seven o'clock," he said, stepping out of the bedroom, a slight bounce to his step.

* * *

Sirius was proud of himself for thinking of writing to Charlie because after he left that evening Meredith was completely turned around; she acted as though her and Lupin had never been together, and she seemed completely happy. Over the next to weeks they continued to clean the house, then swapped stories of Christmas experiences as children and at Hogwarts. Dumbledore allowed Meredith to walk around Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley by herself, saying that she wasn't in as much danger as Sirius and therefore could freely walk if she chose to. This gave her plenty of time to find herself a dress for the ball as well as find a Christmas present for Sirius.

Picking out a dress wasn't that difficult for Meredith, she found one on the third day she went shopping, but the Christmas present was proving to be very difficult...she had no idea what to get Sirius. Eventually she decided she would make him a present; she bought herself drawing supplies and started on a detailed portrait of himself in his dog form, a large powerful black dog standing in front of the Whomping Willow. It wasn't a well known fact among her friends that Meredith could draw, but in truth she had been drawing since she was old enough to pick up crayons and markers.

Finally the day of the ball arrived which meant that it was also Christmas Day. Meredith put the drawing in a frame and carried it down the stairs with her to breakfast. Sirius saw her carrying the present and his eyes brightened out of curiosity, "what is it that you've got there?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Meredith smiled, "I searched all over Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, trying to think of what to get you, but I kept coming up blank...but then I passed by an art supply store and decided that I'd draw you something," she brought the picture in front of her, holding it up so he could see it.

Sirius' jaw literally dropped as he took in the sight of the drawing. He reached forward and ran his finger across the glass, a smile growing on his face, "Meredith, this is beautiful," he said, taking the drawing in his hands and looking at it more closely.

"I'm glad you like it," Meredith said with a smile as she walked over to the stove to get herself some eggs. She sat down across the table from him and watched him admire the drawing; it made her immensely happy that he liked the drawing...whenever she gave one to someone there was always the sinking fear in the back of her mind that they might hate it.

"It's amazing, Meredith, it is," Sirius said, finally setting it down on the table next to him. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a long rectangular box, something like a jewelry box. "I got this for you, I thought you could wear it at the ball," he said, pushing it towards her.

Meredith smiled, opening the box and letting out a surprised gasp as she took in the sight of the necklace. It was a delicate silver chain with a tear-dropped shaped ruby at the end of it, with several small diamonds around it. "Sirius, this is too much," she said, running her finger along the jewel.

"It's been in my family for years, and I figured it would go very well with your dress," Sirius said, smiling, "I want you to have it...I have no one else to give it to."

Meredith took the necklace out of the box and put it around her neck, struggling a bit with the clasp in the back but eventually she got it, and she ran her hand down the chain, a broad smile on her face. "Thank you so much, Sirius," she said, leaning across the table to plant a kiss on his cheek and hug him.

The rest of the afternoon Meredith holed herself up in her room getting herself ready for the ball. She stepped into her dress, a long strapless evening gown, the same color red as the necklace Sirius had given her. It surprised Meredith quite a bit that she found this dress in Muggle London...and for the cheap price she felt like she got lucky in finding the dress.

At a quarter to seven Meredith walked down the stairs to the kitchen to wait for Charlie; she felt nervous, like a teenager going on a date with a guy she liked. The feeling was strange but she liked it. She smiled when she saw Sirius' reaction to her appearance; his jaw dropped slightly and his eyes widened, and when he regained his ability to speak all he could say was "Wow," before hustling over to the liquor cabinet to get a bottle of firewhisky.

"Thank you, Sirius," she said when he poured her a glass and slid it over to her. She pushed her hair away from her face and brought the glass to her lips, the harsh burn of the firewhisky calming her a bit, numbing her nerves. When she finally got to doing her hair she became lazy so he just curled it and left it down, but the effect was quite nice combined with the necklace and the strapless dress...it was just long enough to touch the top of the dress when she left it down.

Finally the clock on the wall struck seven, and Meredith began drumming her fingers on the table. A few minutes after that there was a knock at the door and Sirius ran to answer it. Meredith stood up as he opened the door, straightening out her dress nervously before holding her hands behind her back, waiting for Charlie.

His reaction was pretty much the same as Sirius'; his jaw dropped and he had a broad smile on his face as he walked towards her. Meredith had a hard time not exclaiming in surprise as she took in his appearance as well...she had only ever seen him dressed in casual Muggle clothes-jeans and a t-shirt-but she never imagined how handsome he could look when he was wearing dress robes. "You look beautiful, Meredith," Charlie said, walking over to her and kissing her cheek gently.

"You don't look half-bad yourself there, Charlie," Meredith said lightly, holding him at arms length to get a better look at him. "Shall we go?" she asked, linking her arm with his as they turned to walk to the door.

"Have her home at a reasonable hour, now!" Sirius yelled jokingly, pretending that he was her parent, glaring at Charlie as he turned to wave.

"Of course I will," Charlie said as they walked through the door and out into the night. He brought his arms around her and smiled, "you really do look beautiful you know," he said before Apparating them to Hogsmeade where they would walk the rest of the way to the school. Meredith smiled as he did so, feeling truly happy for the first time since she had met Sirius, and for the first time when her mind wandered to Lupin she didn't feel sad...it was as if he became a distant memory...something that had happened long ago. She pulled Charlie into a kiss before they started their trek to the Hogwarts castle, hoping that this night would be as special as she felt it could be.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Heyyyy guys! SO SORRY it took me so long to update, I hope someone is still reading! I've just been so busy with everything-work, college prep and whatnot. I know its no excuse, I've been wanting to write forever but I just haven't had the motivation. But I still LOVE YOU ALL!

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Meredith felt like a giddy schoolgirl going on a date with her crush as she made her way to the castle with Charlie. She gripped his arm tightly as they walked through the corridors to the Great Hall. When they arrived at the entrance Meredith took a deep breath before looking at Charlie with a nervous expression; he returned it, but had a sort-of mischievous grin on his face as he looked at her, "You really do look lovely tonight," he leaned down to whisper in her ear as they walked in, which caused her to blush furiously.

"You mentioned that when we were at Sirius' house," Meredith said quietly, putting her hand on his arm as they made their way to the punch bowl to get themselves drinks, "but once again I shall say thank you."

Charlie laughed a bit as he poured her a glass of what looked like butterbeer and handed it off to her before pouring himself a glass, "well, I just thought I'd reiterate because you *do* look very beautiful," he said, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on her cheek, just by her earlobe.

At this Meredith giggled, bringing her glass up to her mouth and taking a drink. "Well, again I'll say thank you," she said, turning to face the dance floor as the champions entered with their partners. She smiled, waving at Harry as he walked past looking all dapper and awkward in his dress robes...but her jaw literally dropped when she saw Hermione walk onto the floor with Viktor Krum, looking unusually beautiful; Charlie seemed to notice too, his eyes widening slightly when she walked passed them. Meredith noticed his reaction and leaned over to him, "You know she's only fourteen, right? That look you have on your face right now...I'm not gonna lie, it's a little weird."

Charlie turned towards her, a small smile on his face; the champions began to dance with their dates and he laughed at Harry's obvious discomfort. Shortly after the champions began dancing Dumbledore had walked out on the floor with McGonagall, and the rest of the staff and adults followed suit. "Would you like to dance, Miss Douglas?" Charlie asked, smiling again.

Meredith looked over at him, studying him for a moment before holding her hand out in an invitation for him to take it and together they walked out onto the dance floor. She let out a surprised gasp when Charlie started leading them in a complicated waltz, pulling her effortlessly around the floor, a delighted sort of smile on his face. "I never knew you could dance, Charlie," she said, smiling as well.

"There are quite a few things that you don't know about me, Meredith," Charlie said mysteriously, quirking his eyebrow upwards.

"Yeah, like when he was about seven, he kissed a toad thinking it was going to turn into a princess," said Fred, who had just danced by them with his date, a mischievous smirk on his face.

Meredith quirked an eyebrow at Charlie, a slight smirk playing on her face, "is that true, Charlie?" She asked, trying her best to keep a straight face.

At this point George came dancing by with his date and leaned over to offer a bit of the story, "yeah, he found a toad by the pond at our house, and he started kissing it...then he ran into the house crying to our mother...he was really depressed that it didn't turn into a princess," he said.

After George danced away Meredith couldn't help but laugh a little at the absurdity of what Fred and George had told her, "Really, Charlie? That's adorable...but if I remember correctly the story is that a princess kissed a frog and the frog turned into a prince...I don't recall the story being about a boy and a toad..." she smirked.

"Well...I thought it could work both ways, y'see? I was a...I was seven, OK? I didn't know any better, I was a kid," he said defensively, glaring the back of Fred and George's heads.

Meredith smirked, "that's all right Charlie, we've all done stupid things when we were kids," she said, tilting his head back to her so he was looking at her.

"Oh yeah, what sorts of things have you done?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Me? Oh I haven't done anything like that...I was talking more in the...y'know, abstract. I mean there's bound to be someone out there who has done something as ridiculous as you have," Meredith joked, clearly teasing.

Charlie pouted and looked away from her, pretending to be upset. After a moment, though, it was almost as if he could not resist looking at her; he brought his face closer to hers, touching her forehead with his. Meredith smiled, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly. "You are something else, Meredith," he said.

"Uh, well...thank you? I'm not really sure how to respond to that," she said honestly, a little bit confused.

"It's a good thing, trust me," Charlie whispered before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on her lips.

Meredith wrapped her arms tighter around him and deepened the kiss, seemingly forgetting that they were in a public place, surrounded by a bunch of people. The kiss was broken up by a series of gagging noises made by Fred and George, "Meredith, you're like a sister to us...and you were just making out with our brother...so it was like you were making out with your brother, too," George said, pretending to be grossed out.

Fred nodded in agreement, "yeah, it was pretty disgusting," he said, his arms wrapped around his date for the evening.

"Whatever guys, you're just jealous," Meredith smirked, leading Charlie off the dance floor and to the refreshment table where she got herself another glass of butterbeer. The rest of the evening went by in a blur of music and dance, Meredith and Charlie were one of the last couples to leave the castle, Apparating to Charlie's front porch.

"I had a great time tonight, Charlie," she said with a smile as she stood with her hand on the doorknob, ready to go inside.

Charlie smiled as well, covering her hand with his and pulling her into a passionate kiss, shoving her against her front door. After a moment he broke the kiss with a devilish smile forming on his face. "I'd like to invite you in, would you accept my invitation?" He asked formally.

Meredith returned the devilish smile and opened her door, grabbing him by his tie and pulling him into her house. "You certainly can," she said, bringing him immediately into her bedroom, where they immediately began tearing at each others clothes, tossing them carelessly to the floor. Charlie picked her up by her waist and put her down onto the bed, leaning over her with his elbow propping him up. He kissed up and down her neck, enjoying the quiet sighs and moans that escaped her lips as he reached her sensitive spot. "Charlie, now," she pleaded, grinding her hips against his roughly.

With a bit of a chuckle he obliged her, undoing his pants and roughly thrusting himself completely inside her, moaning a bit as he did so. He continued to thrust slowly at first, but picked up his pace as Meredith arched her hips upward. It wasn't long before they started that Meredith's body began to shake and her moaning grew louder. She screamed his name as she was brought to her orgasm; Charlie continued to thrust until he too was brought over the edge, releasing inside of her, collapsing next to her, panting.

Shortly after Meredith fell into a deep sleep, wrapping herself up in his arms and resting her head on his shoulder...she was happy, for the first time in a long while...everything seemed to be going so well for her, and Charlie was such an amazing person...everything with him was so uncomplicated, simple, fun.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter...I know its a little short, and to me it seems really quick, but I felt terrible for ignoring you guys for so long I just wanted to post something for you all. As always I appreciate reviews, lets me know someone is reading :P


	19. Chapter 19

There was a different sort of warm body next to Meredith as she woke up from her slumber and it startled her slightly. She rolled over on her side and looked at the man next to her, then smiled when she realized that it was Charlie. Memories from the previous night flooded her mind at the same time blush flooded her cheeks; she had brought him home with her, which meant she brought him to Sirius' house. Was he awake when she came home? Did he hear them come in last night? Did he hear them...having sex? The thought of it made Meredith sick as she got up and got dressed, thinking that the only way she's going to find out is if she went downstairs and spoke to Sirius. The way he would look at her as she entered the kitchen would reveal everything.

Her heart dropped as she took in Sirius' facial expression when she walked into the kitchen. He had a smug, I-know-exactly-what-you-did-last-night kind of look on his face. Meredith blushed furiously once more but didn't speak, walking over to the stove and cooking herself some breakfast. Finally, as she was cooking the eggs, Sirius spoke.

"Have fun last ni-"

"Shut up, Sirius," Meredith warned, fighting the urge to smile.

"What, I was just asking if you had a good time at the ball!" He said innocently, "What were _you_ think...oh, god, Meredith, you're disgusting," he exclaimed, putting his hand over his heart as though he was morally offended by what she was suggesting. He smirked at her before laughing, "Had a good time then, judging by the look on your face?"

Meredith smiled, turning around to face him, "not that its any of your business, but yes, I did have a good time last night, the ball was lovely," she said decisively, as if that was all she was going to say.

"And after the b-"

"Now _you're _the one that's being disgusting," Meredith countered, sitting down and beginning to eat her breakfast.

"What, I was just asking a simple question, no need to get so defensive...unless you've got something to hide?" Sirius grinned, enjoying this teasing, but mostly the reactions he got from her.

"I'm not going to respond to you if you keep up with the awkward innuendos," Meredith said with a coy smile, sitting down across from him and digging into her breakfast. Midway through the meal there was a loud crack from upstairs which meant that Charlie had Disapparated; Sirius made a noise, shaking his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Meredith looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "What?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," Sirius said, shaking his head again, filling his mug up with tea and drinking it. "It's just, kind of weird is all..."

"What do you mean, weird? What's weird?" She asked, leaning forward a bit and looking at him.

"It's just that...you were with Remus for a long time, and then you guys break up...and barely a month later you're with Charlie...it just seems...you're moving on awfully fast...seems like he's more of a rebound," Sirius said, looking at her and biting his lip a bit, unsure how she was going to react to what he was saying.

Meredith's eyes narrowed as she nodded slowly, "I appreciate your concern, Sirius, I really do...but I don't see how it's any of your business," she said.

Sirius sighed, "Meredith you're my friend, I care about you..I don't want to see you hurt," he said, standing up and moving so he was sitting next to her, "I know Charlie a lot better than you think...he's not...he's not a relationship type of guy."

"Sirius, really, I appreciate the concern, but I'm going to be fine, I know how to handle myself," she said, getting up to leave, "besides, I don't think Remus is entirely broken up about it...I saw him with Nymphadora Tonks the other weekend," and with that she walked out of the kitchen, seeking refuge in her bedroom, shutting and locking the door.

Meredith remained in her bedroom for the rest of the day, coming out only when the smell of dinner wafted up to her bedroom and lured her out. She walked into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe, smiling, "Dinner smells good," she said.

Sirius turned around and smiled at her, "thanks," he said quietly, turning back to the stove.

She walked around the table and to the stove to survey his cooking, then she looked up into his eyes, "Sirius, I'm really sorry about the way that I acted earlier, I know you were just concerned...I should have been more respectful," she said.

"It's all right, I shouldn't have assumed you couldn't take care of yourself...I know you're a tough woman," he said, smirking a bit, "just...promise me that you'll be careful with him."

Meredith fought the urge to roll her eyes, instead mustering up a kind smile, "I will Sirius, and I appreciate you being so...protective," she said, sitting down at the table and pulling the flagon of butterbeer towards her. They ate dinner together and afterwards they retreated to the sitting room and began talking about the Triwizard Tournament.

"The second task isn't for another month; the champions are going to have to swim to the bottom of the Black Lake and retrieve...something that has been taken from them," Meredith explained, pouring some firewhisky into a glass and drinking from it slowly, savoring it.

Sirius nearly choked on his firewhisky as he coughed in surprise, "Th-the Black Lake? You can't be serious! That's...that's insane," he said.

"The Ministry and Dumbledore have worked tirelessly to make sure that there will be no accidents...Harry will be completely safe, there isn't any need to worry," Meredith said in a calm down, trying to pacify Sirius, "I'll make a trip to Hogwarts and watch him, of course...I wish you could go too," she said sadly.

"Yeah, me too," Sirius said bitterly, "but, as Dumbledore says, it's dangerous for me to be wandering around, being a fugitive and all."

Meredith sighed, "he _is_ right, Sirius, you know that, don't you? If you were to be exposed...you would get sent right back to Azkaban...you have to remember that the rest of the Wizarding World isn't aware of your innocence," she said.

"I _know_ that, Meredith, you don't have to tell me," Sirius said, his tone rising, obviously getting angrier.

"I'm sorry, I just...ah, forget about it," she said, waving her hand dismissively, standing up and walking to the door, "I'm going to sleep, Sirius, try not to drink too much...wouldn't want you to be hungover," she joked, walking to her room. Once she shut the door Meredith noticed a large, dark owl sitting on the windowsill. Puzzled, she walked over and relieved the bird of its burden and opened the letter; it was from Charlie.

_Meredith,_

_I just want you to know I had an amazing time with you at the Yule Ball and, well, afterwards. Sorry I had to leave so early this morning, but...I didn't know how Sirius would react to having me at the dinner table. He and I...never really got along. I hope he hasn't said anything unsavory about me, wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea about me. _

_Perhaps you'd like to get together tomorrow for lunch and a walk around Muggle London, or perhaps Diagon Alley? Whichever you prefer. Send me a letter back with Artemis; he's very fast. _

_Always yours, _

_Charlie Weasley_

"Not a relationship type of guy...hah," Meredith said, smirking as she wrote out her response and sent it back to Charlie. She fell asleep that night with a smile on her face.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D As always I love reviews and suggestions, so feel free to drop me a line! I love you all!


	20. Chapter 20

Over the next couple of weeks Meredith spent a great deal of time with Charlie, waking up early in the morning and spending entire days with him just wandering around Muggle London or Diagon Alley. Meredith was really enjoying the time she was spending with Charlie, but they were both reluctant to actually make anything official...mostly on Meredith's part because what Sirius had said to her about moving on quickly had actually gotten to her; she didn't want him to think that she was some kind of slut or something...she was also puzzled as to why Sirius' opinion meant so much to her, but it did.

One Sunday afternoon Meredith was waiting for Charlie to come and pick her up from Sirius' house so they could spend yet another day together; she was sitting in the kitchen with Sirius, enjoying a cup of tea. He said he would pick her up at one o'clock. One o'clock came and went, and Meredith was still waiting. Finally, at two-thirty Charlie came waltzing in, obviously horribly hungover, his hair and clothes messy. Meredith looked shocked as he walked up to her and started to pull her out the door. "What the hell is the matter with you, Charlie?" she pulled her arm out of his grip, staring at him. As she looked him over she noticed several love bites on his neck. Tears filled her eyes.

Despite his semi-drunken state, Charlie noticed the tears, "come on, Mere, we were never official, you know that," he said quietly, "we had no real obligations toward each other."

Meredith rolled her eyes, "I know, Charlie, but I'll have you know that since we got together I haven't been with anyone else...I'm not like that," she said, glaring at him, "were you with her before, or was this the first time?"

"It wasn't the first time," Charlie said bluntly, "I met her about two weeks after we started spending time together."

At this statement Meredith's eyes widened, and she was appalled, "do you know anything about her, Charlie? What if she has some kind of disease? God...you're an idiot. No...I am," she shook her head, pulling him towards the door, "I think you should go."

"Don't be like this, Meredith," Charlie said as he was being dragged to the door, "we were having fun, this was all this was, wasn't it?"

Meredith shrugged, "I didn't know what it was, Charlie. The truth is, I was really beginning to fall for you, but now...I don't know what to think...if having random sex with girls is what you're about, then I can't be a part of it, I'm sorry," she said, opening the door and forcing him out. When she shut the door she leaned against it, letting the tears fall freely.

Sirius had heard the entire exchange and the second the door closed he walked towards it and saw Meredith crying. Sighing, he knelt down next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder and used his other hand to tilt her chin up. "I'm really sorry that happened," he said, pulling her into a hug.

"I sure know how to pick them, don't I?" She chuckled a bit through her tears, hugging Sirius back. After a moment she stood up and walked with him to the kitchen. "Maybe...maybe this is a sign," she said.

"A sign? What do you mean?" Sirius asked, quirking an eyebrow as he poured them both cups of tea.

"That I should be alone for a while," Meredith said, "stay single, work on myself...try to find another job, or something."

Sirius shrugged, "that sounds like a wise decision," he said, drinking some of his tea, looking off into the distance like he was trying to remember something. After about a minute he shook his head and went back to his tea, "When's the second task?"

"Friday after next," Meredith said, hissing a bit as the hot tea seared her throat, "Harry is going to be fine, Sirius, we went over these plans extensively...if there was any chance of danger we wouldn't let the champions do the task...he'll be fine."

"I just wish I could go," Sirius said bitterly, putting his cup down, "but being a 'wanted killer' there probably isn't much of a chance."

Meredith nodded sadly, "I wish you could go too, I'm sure Harry would love to see you," she said, pursing her lips together. Moments later she finished her tea, excused herself, and went up to her room and slept for several hours.

Over next several days, Charlie would go to Grimmauld Place to try and talk to Meredith, but Sirius was always there to slam the door in his face and tell him to go away. Finally after a week and a half of this, Charlie seemed to get the message, and he stopped coming around.

The day of the second task finally arrived, and Meredith was getting dressed in her room when there was a knock at her door. "One second," she said, buttoning up her shirt and walking over. She opened the door, and Sirius was standing there.

"I know you're leaving soon for the school, and I was wondering if you'd bring something to Harry for me," he said quietly, holding an envelope.

"Of course, Sirius," Meredith said, grabbing the letter from him and putting it in her bag, "I'll make sure he gets it," she put her jacket on and walked out the door and smiled as he followed her to the front door. "I'll be back later, Sirius," she gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek and walked out the door.

When Meredith arrived at the school she followed the crowd down to the Black Lake, getting on the platform in the center, standing next to Harry with her hand on his shoulder, "Sirius gave me something for you...I'll give it to you after you win this task," she said confidently, smiling.

Harry nodded in silence, looking incredibly nervous. Meredith continued speaking, whispering in his ear, "he cares about you very much...he wishes he could be here for you," she said, "I know you'll do well, Harry...you're extremely smart and talented...don't sweat it too much."

After a while she stepped back and allowed him to be alone with his thoughts; he needed to focus on the task. She had a casual conversation with Professor McGonagall as she watched the Champions prepare. She gave another encouraging smile to Harry, and nodded politely to Cedric.

Dumbledore quickly explained to the crowd what was going to be happening for this task, and shortly after the champions jumped into the lake. Meredith gripped herself tightly, staring anxiously at the surface. An hour later the champions began surfacing. Cedric surfaced first, followed by Viktor Krum. The time limit passed, but Harry still hadn't surfaced. Many minutes later, he still hadn't surfaced. Meredith began to panic, and just as she was contemplating jumping in after him, he surfaced with Ron _and_ Gabrielle Delacour. Meredith let out the breath she had been holding, and immediately knelt down beside Harry, enveloping him in her arms not really noticing or caring that he was soaking wet.

Shortly after they were all out of the lake, Dumbledore announced the points. Given the fact that Harry reached the hostages first, and that the Merchieftainess had told him that he was determined to save all of the hostages, Dumbledore awarded Harry with second place, finishing just behind Cedric.

Meredith smiled, clapping Harry on the back, keeping her arm around him protectively as they walked up to the castle. "What did Sirius give you for me?" He asked once they were alone on the path.

"Right," Meredith said, momentarily forgetting about the letter. She reached into her pocket and handed it to him. He immediately opened it and began reading. By the time he was finished, his eyes were filled with tears, but he was smiling. "What did he say?"

Harry looked at her, "he believes in me, he says I can win because I'm determined and bright, just like my parents...and he can't wait until his name is cleared so I can live with him," he said.

Meredith looked away from him and smiled as well, surprised at Sirius' letter...how emotional and caring he was towards Harry. It touched her, and she too had to work to keep herself from tearing up. "He loves you very much," she repeated, squeezing him tightly, "I'm going to talk to Dumbledore, see if we can't get him to let Sirius come to the third task."

Harry smiled broadly at her, "thanks, Meredith," he said, looking away for a moment, "I miss seeing you here all the time, it was nice being able to talk to you."

"Well, you could always write to me," she said with a smile, letting go of him as she reached the Apparition point, "I'm always here for you, Harry, you must know this...I am your friend, and I care about you." She kissed his forehead before Apparating back to Sirius' house.

The second she opened the door and took her cloak off, Sirius ran to her and questioned her about the task. She sat down with him at the kitchen table and answered his questions, telling him the whole story; she also told him about Harry reading the letter. "I'm going to talk to Dumbledore sometime before the final task, to see if there isn't any chance of you being able to go," she said, "Harry would really like it if you were there, and I'm sure you would too."

Sirius teared up as she said this, and he pulled her into a tight hug, "Meredith, you are by far the most amazing person I have ever met," he said, holding onto her, "Remus was foolish for letting you go, and Charlie was an idiot for not realizing what he was losing out on...someday you'll find a man worthy of you."

Meredith smirked, "How did we go from talking about Harry to talking about my failed relationships?" she asked, mustering a weak laugh.

"I've really enjoyed all this time we've been spending together, Meredith, getting to know you, and having someone to open up to and talk to about my past...you know me better than anyone else," Sirius said, scooting a bit closer to her, "over these past weeks, I've realized that the feelings I have for you are stronger than just having you as a friend," he said.

Meredith stared at him, "Sirius, what are you saying?" She asked, biting her lip and scooting away slightly.

"I am in love you, Meredith Douglas," Sirius said before pulling her face towards his and captured her lips in a passionate kiss, his arms winding around her body, pulling her close to him.

Meredith whimpered in surprise, pulling her head back as if to break the kiss, but Sirius was determined; he deepened the kiss, causing Meredith to let out an involuntary moan. Finally she melted against him, returning the kiss with passion. Together they walked up to his bedroom, their lips locked the entire journey.


	21. Authors Note

Authors note:

Hey guys!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I'm off at college now and it took a little bit to get everything situated-I've been busy, but believe me I've been thinking about this story everyday!

I hope you enjoyed Chapter 20, and if my plans hold I'll have 21 up as soon as possible.

As always, I LOVE reviews to leave me one, and if you have any suggestions or anything, or just want to talk, shoot me an e-mail or a private message.


	22. Chapter 21

Ever since Meredith had slept with Sirius things had taken a turn for the incredibly awkward at 12 Grimmauld Place. Neither one of them had acknowledged that night, in fact they hadn't really spoken since then, and it had been a week. Finally Meredith cornered him in the kitchen as he was eating breakfast.

"We need to talk."

Sirius looked up from his breakfast plate, his expression unreadable, "We do?" He asked.

Meredith rolled her eyes and sat down, "Sirius, you said you were in love with me. We had sex. And since that happened we've barely said ten words to each other. We NEED to talk," she said, looking straight at him, "did you mean it? What you said?"

"That I was in love with you?" Sirius looked away, thinking for a moment, "yes, yes I meant it."

"Oh god," Meredith said, "Sirius...that whole thing...amazing as it was, it was a mistake. It never should have happened. I can't be with you."

Sirius looked hurt at this statement, throwing down his fork and looking her straight in the eyes, "And why not?" he asked.

Meredith sighed, biting her lip, "Sirius, you know why. I dated your best friend for almost a year...Remus and I are broken up, sure, but I know that if he found out about us he would be upset. And I know I shouldn't be concerned about his feelings, but I am. I couldn't hurt him that way," she said.

Sirius nodded, "can't say that I didn't see that coming," he said, standing up, "nonetheless, it still stings a bit." He started walking towards the door.

"I'm sorry," was all she said as she watched him walk out of the kitchen. Meredith would spend the entire evening in the kitchen, drinking from Sirius' firewhisky stash. Once she was confident Sirius had fallen asleep she went to her bedroom, packed her stuff and left, leaving Sirius a note.

_Sirius, _

_I know you're probably wondering why I did this, leaving like this. Don't worry, its not at all permanent. I just needed to get away for a while..._

_So I'm going to travel to a few different places, work on myself for a bit. I know that sounds stupid but I feel like that's what I need right now. I don't know exactly when I'll be back but I'll definitely be back for the final task. _

_As much as I know you'll want to, I'm going to ask you not to try and contact me. Your letters will just be sent back unread. I don't mean to be rude or anything...its just the way things are going to be for a while. _

_See you later, _

_Meredith Douglas_

Sirius was obviously upset when he read this note, but he nonetheless respected her wishes and didn't try to contact her, though it was tempting. He wanted to tell her he didn't mean it, he was sorry for being so stupid...anything to get her to come back.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and eventually Meredith's disappearance almost became bearable to Sirius. He still felt that sting when he passed by her bedroom door but he learned to ignore it. When people asked him where she went he simply shrugged and said he didn't know. People were not overly concerned, knowing Meredith and knowing that this would be the type of thing she would do. They were all confident that she would return when she said she would.

It seemed that Lupin was the only one in the community who did not know that she was gone; he was spending a lot of time with Nymphadora Tonks, and generally he didn't really keep in touch with anyone anyway. Until one spring day he went to Sirius' house for a visit, looking upset about something. Sirius invited him to sit down, "Are you all right, mate?" He asked, pouring him tea, "Something wrong between you and Tonks?"

Lupin nodded tiredly, running his hands through his prematurely gray hair, "I tried to make it work with her...and for a while, it did," he said, sighing, "I had fun with her, I loved being around her...but always in the back of my mind...I was thinking of Meredith. I'm still in love with her, Sirius. Tonks...she...she knew, she realized this and told me to come here...to convince her to take me back. Where is she?" He asked, looking around.

Sirius sighed, smiling sadly, "She's gone, mate," he said, handing him the note, watching his eyes scan the page and his expression grow steadily more miserable.

Eventually Lupin put the note down, his eyes full of sadness and shock, "Where did she go?" He asked, "she didn't...mention it in the letter."

"I don't know, I have no idea...I woke up one day and she was gone, and all I found was this," he pointed to the note, "you can try and write to her, but I don't think she'll accept it."

Lupin nodded, standing up as he rubbed his eyes, "I have to do something," he said, "I can't lose her," he walked out the door and Apparated to his own house where he immediately set to work on a letter he hoped would bring her back.

He stayed up well into the night drafting several different letters before settling on one that he felt would do the trick:

_Meredith, _

_I hope to gods you're reading this. _

_I have been a colossal idiot. One for the history books. I neglected the one I love, the only person I've ever loved just because I was insecure and scared...and now I fear I've lost her forever. _

_Sirius showed me your note, and I hope that your decision to leave didn't involve me in any way. Meredith, I'm still as in love with you now as I was when we first kissed in my office at Hogwarts and I don't give a shit about what anyone thinks. I want to be with you. I want to hold you in my arms again. I want to tell you how much I love you everyday. _

_I'm sorry its taken me this long to realize my true feelings, and I hope that its not too late...but I'll understand if you don't want to take me back. I just hope that you will. _

_Yours forever, _

_Remus J Lupin_

He tied the letter to his owl and sent it off, praying to the heavens that she would read it and come back. He knew he didn't deserve a second chance, but he wanted her to know how he felt, regardless.


	23. Chapter 22

A/N: A THOUSAND APOLOGIES for the long wait between posts. I have been crazy busy with this thing called college...and I'll admit I have been slacking. I hope this chapter is to your liking...I am unsure if I should end the fic with this and start another, or just write more. We'll see.

I hope you're still reading and like it! :D As always reviews are appreciated.

* * *

A week later, Lupin got the letter back. So he wrote another one. A week later, that one came back. So then he wrote another letter, which then came back; all were unopened. Instead of giving up Lupin just sent more letters, knowing that eventually Meredith would give in and open one.

Two months and over twenty letters later, Lupin finally got what he asked for. But...it wasn't the answer he wanted. Meredith had finally responded to his letters:

_Please, Remus, leave me alone._

These five words were scrawled on the back of his latest unopened letter. He flung it into the fire, furious. Why wouldn't she respond to him, except to tell him to leave her alone? He loved her very much a year ago, and still did. He was sure she did too, but after this he was starting to doubt. What if she didn't care for him anymore? He couldn't really blame her, he was an idiot…but surely she would want to work things out?

He walked through life in a daze, barely noticing anything or anyone. Eventually he started talking to Tonks again, but they were both aware that there was no way he could be with her so they were simply friends. Tonks was the one Lupin went to when he was having a rough night, when he was missing Meredith. He kept writing letter after letter to her, but they all were returning unopened; he didn't know what to do.

"Perhaps this is a sign," Tonks said one day over breakfast with Remus and Sirius, "that you should try and move on…or maybe just focus on something else…you need to take your mind off of her, mate."

Remus looked up at Tonks, "and how do you propose I do that?" he asked, "she was the love of my life…I was ready to marry her…I still would in a heartbeat…but she hates me."

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair before speaking, "Moony, man, she's right…Meredith probably isn't going to budge on this anytime soon, and even if she does come back there's a chance she probably wouldn't talk to you," he said quite bluntly, tired of seeing his friend like this, "you should just try and forget about her."

He looked up at his friend, glaring for a moment before standing up, "and how long did it take you to get over Joanna?" he said scathingly, "because I seem to remember that you were miserable for quite a few years…so don't tell me that I need to move on," he got up and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him before Apparating.

The seasons and months blended seamlessly into each other as the weather grew warmer and June—as well as the Final Task—neared.

Harry was grateful for the fact that he wasn't forced to focus on exams, his mind was already reeling from the terrifying unknown that was the Final Task. Rita Skeeter was still doing her thing, ruining his reputation and spreading rumors about various people. A vermin if he ever saw one.

He was aware of Meredith's disappearance, and it saddened him greatly…who would talk to him and comfort him in the way only she could? Hermione and Ron were doing their best, as well as Sirius and his other friends…but none of them quite knew what to say to him. He had a feeling that Meredith would. But he was forced to make do with the "you'll be fine" and "it'll be okay" attitudes from those around him.

The day of the Final Task was at hand, and the maze had grown in monstrous proportions since he had last laid eyes on it. He was devastated that it had to be the Quidditch field turned into the maze, but Dumbledore assured him it was completely reversible. He gathered with the other champions and stayed quiet, his mind completely focused on the task.

He was ripped from his thoughts when Bagman's magically aided voice boomed across the Quidditch field: "Ladies and Gentlemen! The Third and final Task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to start! Allow me to reintroduce our champions and their current point standings...tied for First place with 85 points each—Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter of Hogwarts! In second place with 80 points—Viktor Krum of the Durmstrang Institute! And finally, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons Academy!" The crowd roared loudly, cheering for them.

"On my whistle, Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory will enter the maze!" He yelled, nodding at the both of them before blowing his whistle.

Harry took a deep breath and ran into the maze, his wand in his hand. Meanwhile up in the stands, Dumbledore was having a hushed conversation with Professor Snape. "Have you had any more contact with Miss Douglas?" he said quietly.

Snape nodded, "I received a letter just the other day. She assures me she is doing well with her…assignment. She wishes she could be here today to watch Harry, but she understands her assignment is important," he said, sighing in disdain as he thought about Dumbledore assigning him to be the one to keep contact with her. He held grudges and was still upset with her for mouthing off to him at the beginning of the tournament.

Dumbledore nodded, "good, very good…has she said anything of the status of Fenrir Greyback and the other werewolves?" he asked.

"Well, they've finally begun to trust her, and they're letting her in on some sensitive information she says she doesn't think should be put in a letter, and she hopes that she'll be able to return soon…she misses London, and misses…that dog and the wolf," he said.

"And by 'the dog' and 'the wolf' I am assuming you are referring to Sirius and Remus," Dumbledore said placidly, placing his hands in his lap, "yes, both have expressed their sadness over her sudden departure…both assume they're at fault." They talked about this for quite a long time, breaking their conversation when there was a commotion down on the field; Harry had returned with the cup and Cedric…but something was wrong. Dumbledore broke through the crowd and descended on Harry and Cedric.

"He's back! Voldemort is back!" Harry said in a desperate voice, clinging to Cedric's body as he looked up at Dumbledore. There were thousands of voices speaking at once, gasping as they looked upon Harry's face and Cedric's.

Hundreds of people stared, horrorstruck at the sight before them, and all Harry could do was stare at Dumbledore with a desperate expression. Dumbledore managed to pry him away from Cedric and told him to stay in his place, going off to talk to Amos Diggory before he saw Cedric's body. "Stay here, Harry," he said as he walked off.

The crowd stared at Harry, pleading with him to go to the Hospital Wing, to sit down, something. But he refused, standing solidly in his place until Dumbledore returned. But he felt a tugging at his arm and suddenly he was being taken away from the crowd and off the Quidditch pitch completely; Mad-Eye Moody had him by the collar of his shirt, bringing him up toward the castle.

"What happened, Harry?" He asked as they walked, keeping a firm hold on him as they made their way through the crowd and to the isolated castle. Harry explained that the cup was a Portkey, and that it had transported them into the presence of the Death Eaters, and explained how Voldemort got his body back. Moody listened in silence, leading him up to his office.

"So the Dark Lord returned? And you said there were Death Eaters there?" Moody asked, sitting Harry down in a chair as he looked around his office for something, "how did he treat them?"

Harry looked confused, "what? I-I don't know," he said, shrugging as he watched Moody look around his office, "oh, I have to go and tell Dumbledore…there's a Death Eater here…that's how my name got into the Goblet!" He stood up, but Moody pushed him back down in the chair.

"I know how your name got into the Goblet," he said in a dark tone, "I know because I did it," he said, looking back at Harry.

"Wh-What? You did it…why?" he asked, looking at him with a mixture of fear and surprise on his face. But before Moody had time to explain the door burst open and a jet of red light hit Moody square in the chest sending him flying into the wall with a loud thud. Harry turned to the source of the noise and found himself looking at the faces of Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore, each with their wands outstretched. McGonagall went to Harry, pulling him up and trying to lead him out, but Dumbledore stopped her.

"He needs to understand what's going on right now," he said calmly, looking at him, then at Moody. McGonagall sighed but agreed, letting him go; Harry fell back into the chair again, looking quite confused.

After a long explanation involving Veritaserum, a House-elf, and a history of the Crouch family, Harry finally understood what had happened that night. Barty Crouch Jr., former Death Eater and Azkaban prisoner, managed to escape with the help of his father, only to escape his father's clutches by manipulating the House-elf, had impersonated Alastor Moody and put himself in Hogwarts thus getting Harry into the competition and right into Voldemort's clutches. Eventually Harry was led to the Hospital wing, where after given a large dose of a potion to help him sleep did he finally get some rest.

Dumbledore walked the path to his office with Snape, his hands clasped in front of him as he walked, "you must inform Meredith of the happenings before the _Daily Prophet _or some other source does…you must tell her exactly what happened, leaving out no details…and finally, you must get her to return. By any means necessary…we need her back now. We are on the brink of a war."


	24. Chapter 23

A/N: Hello lovelies! Hope you enjoy this chapter, its mostly talking and catchup so it may be kinda slow.

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It took a lot of careful planning, but eventually a plan was made to get Meredith off of her assignment. Kingsley Shacklebolt would be paying a visit to the house where she was staying with the other wolves.

One summer morning there was a loud knock on the door followed by Kingsley's powerful voice coming through the door, "THIS IS THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC, OPEN UP NOW OR I WILL BE FORCED TO BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR!" He knocked a few more times before there was a deafening crash and the door was blown off its hinges. The wolves that were already awake were in a panic, pulling out their wands in preparation for a fight. Spells were cast, lights of many different colors flew across the room, "THE ONLY PERSON WE WANT IS MEREDITH DOUGLAS!"

Meredith came out of the hallway holding her wand, looking confused and very angry, "what the hell do you want with me?" she asked, stepping in between the fighters.

"You are under arrest for the murder of employees of the Ministry; we received information that says you're the one responsible for the explosion three months ago," he said after disarming her and pulling her to him; of course this was a lie, they just had to make sure Meredith didn't suddenly disappear; it would have raised suspicion; this way there was a reason for it.

"What? That's rubbish, I didn't do anything to any Ministry employees," she said, trying to run away from him, but it was useless; Kingsley was strong and he held her arms easily. Together they walked out of the house and onto the street, waiting until they were a safe distance away from the house to start talking. "So I blew up a bunch of people eh? Must be important if you're pulling me out now."

"Have you not heard? You-Know-Who is back. He returned the night of the Final Task…Harry Potter saw everything," he said, surprised that she wasn't aware of it, "it was all over the _Prophet_ when it happened."

"Kingsley, I was in a house with a bunch of werewolves, I didn't exactly have time to read the paper," she said in a bit of an irritated tone, "so, what? Dumbledore wanted me back, why?"

"Because he said he needed your help…we need all the help we can get now that he's returned…he's building his army, that we're sure of," he said, walking with her down the street to the Apparition point.

"Raising an army? That must've been what Greyback was talking about…he kept going on and on about how he was going to be a part of some army, that was going to take over the Ministry," she said, "he was quite proud."

"Yes, well, we need you back now," he said, turning on the spot and Apparating to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.

Meredith gasped when she realized they were back at Grimmauld place again. "I don't know if I can go in there," she said cautiously, "Sirius must've been pretty pissed when I left…I don't know what to say to them."

"Everyone has already been informed of your whereabouts, they're all very anxious to see you," he said with a bit of a smile, putting his hand on her shoulder, "don't be so nervous."

She nodded, walking up the stairs slowly, opening the door as it appeared to her. She walked down the familiar hallway, smiling when she heard voices in the next room. She walked into the kitchen slowly, looking at everyone; Mr and Mrs Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Tonks, Lupin, Snape, Sirius, and not to mention all of the children—Harry, Hermione, Ron, the twins…all sitting around Sirius' dining room table. They all smiled at her when she walked in, except for Lupin…he seemed to be unable to look at her, staring intently at the table.

Sirius stood up from his chair and walked over to her, pulling her into a tight hug, "you had me worried sick about you, you little punk," he said, holding her tightly.

Meredith laughed, hugging him back, "well now you'll understand why I couldn't tell you where I was really going," she said, smiling as she broke the hug, looking at him, then at everyone at the table, "I'm glad to be back guys," she said, taking her seat between Bill and Sirius. It was strange for her to be back, listening to the different people talk about what was going on; she felt so behind in the times, since she was at the house with the wolves she didn't really read the paper or keep up with the news. Sure, the wolves talked about the things that happened but she hardly listened to what they said.

Finally the meeting was over and Meredith was left in the kitchen with Sirius, who was staring at her with a smile, "I should be really upset with you for leaving like that," he said, "without telling me."

"You think I didn't want to tell you? Dumbledore made me swear to secrecy…I couldn't tell anyone where I was going…the mission was too important," she said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair that had grown long and wild during her months with the wolves.

"What _was_ your mission anyway?" Sirius asked her with great curiosity.

Meredith looked around the kitchen before turning to face him again, "I was to live among the other werewolves, try to figure out which side they were on and figure out what they knew about You-Know-Who," she said, "most of them supported him—but that was no real surprise…it took a long time for them to trust me, but even then…I was forced to do things, unspeakable things, to get their trust."

Sirius looked at her, "what kinds of things did they make you do?" he asked.

"Well…Greyback likes to put himself near families and groups of people during the full moon so he'll shift near them and…well, kill them," she said, shuddering a bit, "he loves biting children and turning them into creatures like us…I had to bite a six year old girl. I had to kill people…so many people." She ran a hand through her hair again, tears forming in her eyes as she looked away from him, unable to look into his eyes at that moment for fear she would break down.

Sirius sighed, reaching his hand across the table and squeezing her hand tightly, then tilting her chin up so she was forced to look into his eyes, "you're not a bad person, Meredith, I hope you understand that," he said, "what they made you do was terrible, but that doesn't shape who you are."

Meredith nodded, biting her lip as she let the tears fall, "I just…I keep having nightmares about that little girl that I changed…I ruined her life," she said, pulling her hair into a ponytail; it had grown fast, already down to the middle of her back and she was planning on cutting it, "she'll never be the same…her whole life…ruined."

He stood up and went to the cabinet, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of firewhisky, sitting down with her as he poured two glasses, sliding one to her, "the nightmares will stop eventually," he said, "so, where are you going to stay now that you're back in London?"

Meredith shrugged, taking a sip of the firewhisky, "I still have my flat on lease, I figure I could stay there," she said.

"Ahh, well, I was going to say you could stay here with me like old times, but…if you were so determined to be all on your own, that's fine," he said, sighing a bit; he would have liked to have her around…it had grown lonely at 12 Grimmauld Place without anyone to talk to.

Meredith finished her glass, standing up after a moment, "I should get going," she said, smiling at Sirius, "I'll definitely be stopping by again."

"You should uh, talk to Remus," he said, looking at her, "he's…he really misses you…I know you stopped being mad at him long ago."

She shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about…I hate Remus," she said, walking out of the building and Disapparating to her apartment, thinking about what Sirius had said. She had forgiven Remus long ago, she wasn't really mad at him anymore, but she wasn't about to go crawling back to him just because he sent her a few letters.


	25. Chapter 24

"Bloody hell, Sirius, did you see her? Her-her hair…it was…long, and beautiful, and wild. Her eyes, everything…she is so gorgeous Sirius," Remus said, looking pained as he paced around his kitchen, "she's so beautiful and I want her…but she hates me." Sirius nodded, running a hand through his hair, "I don't know what to tell you, mate, except…grovel, you know? Apologize, show her that you're sincere about it…woo her, or something," he said. Remus looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, "woo her? And how do you suppose I do that?" he asked. Sirius shrugged, "I don't know, mate, I'm not the expert on women," he said, drinking his tea as he listened to his friend talk. He shook his head slightly, biting his lip as he looked down at the ground, "well, I'm outta here," he said quietly, walking toward the door. Sirius stood up and walked toward him, "we have an Order meeting tonight, you can't just quit showing up when she returns," he said, looking at him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "stay here, we can try and figure out what you can say to her after the meeting." With that he led him back into the kitchen and they talked for a while until the meeting.

Slowly people started to show up to the meeting, gathering around the table and taking their usual seats. Meredith was the last to show up, her previously messy and wild hair was tamed, pulled into a low side ponytail and then braided. She sat in between Bill and Charlie and picking up a glass and pouring some firewhisky in it.

Snape droned on as usual, acting as though what he was doing was the most important thing to the Order ever. And what he was doing was a big deal, but Meredith couldn't stand hearing him talk like he was the most important person in the world. "Megalomaniac, much?" she muttered to herself as the meeting ended and people dispersed. Sirius heard her comment and laughed, shaking his head and walking towards Arthur to talk to him. Meredith sat at the table still, just looking around at everyone and observing them. She had been gone for only about five months but it felt to her that she was gone an eternity—everyone looked as though they had aged years. Then she realized that she, too, must've looked the same as them, for she had sustained the same amount of stress and worry. As she observed her friends talking she hovered about on the edge of the group, staying to herself. Occasionally she'd catch the eye of one of them and they'd smile at her, but behind the smile she swore she could see a hint of distrust and suspicion, like they thought she was a spy or something. Meredith shook it off, and eventually joined in a conversation with Arthur Weasley. Remus, meanwhile, was trying to distract himself with the other people there, but his eyes always drifted back to Meredith. He took note of the scar on the side of her face, no doubt a souvenir from Greyback, and despite that he thought she was still beautiful. He was so in love with her, even after she left, but he didn't know what to do.


	26. Chapter 25

Meredith moved in with Sirius in the weeks following her return; she had to vacate her old flat when she left so she had nowhere else to go…not that she minded much though, Sirius was a great friend to her. Molly and Arthur smothered her with, "are you OKs" and "why don't you talk about it" questions. Sirius let her be, acted as though she had never left London, which Meredith appreciated greatly.

Sometimes, though, Meredith did talk to Sirius. She told him about the things that happened to her while she was undercover and on her mission. She had to do terrible things and watch as terrible things were done. It was all a part of the mission, to get onto Greyback's goodside, but it wore on her after a while and she sometime had nightmares.

One thing she flat out refused to talk about was Remus. Sirius brought him up on occasion and when he did Meredith shut down and left the room. But he knew his friend and he could tell by the look on her face that she still loved him too, but was too scared to say so. Remus, however, was very willing to admit the feelings he still had for Meredith.

Remus came over constantly, but Meredith was conveniently out of the house, or at least appeared to be. After the first month, Sirius had lost all of his patience with her.

"Come ON, Meredith, why won't you just talk to him? I know you, and I can tell that you still have feelings for him," Sirius said with an angry tone, staring at Meredith as she drank tea in the kitchen one day.

She rolled her eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about, Sirius. I don't have feelings for Remus," she said in an emotionless monotone.

"Fine…what if I told you that Remus was back with Tonks anyway," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Meredith looked up at him, for a split second she glared at him, then reigned her feelings in, giving him an almost bored look, "so?" she asked, though the irritation was evident in her voice.

Sirius chuckled, "you love him," he said, "you love him whether or not you're willing to admit it…and you are going to talk to him, whether you like it or not."

She looked at him, "what are you talking about," she asked.

He shook his head, "you're going to face your feelings. You have to," he said, leaving the room for a while, leaving Meredith there to finish her tea and toast in peace.

Later that afternoon, Meredith was sitting in front of the fireplace in one of the rooms of the house, reading a book about Hogwarts when Sirius came in with a smirk on his face. "Meredith, would you come with me for a moment," he asked.

Meredith raised an eyebrow at him but sat up, marking her spot in her book and following him, "what are you doing," she asked.

"I just wanted to apologize for the way I was talking to you earlier about Remus….its really none of my business and if you say that you don't love him then I have to believe you," he said with a nod, leading her down to one of the other sitting rooms.

"Thank you Sirius, that means a lot," she said with a nod, "but what are we doing?"

Sirius said nothing, bringing her into the room; she would soon realize what was going on. Remus was sitting in front of the fireplace, halfheartedly drinking a cup of tea. When he saw Meredith and Sirius, his expression brightening. Meredith glared at Sirius, "come on," she said, but Sirius just chuckled, pushing her into the room, locking the door behind her. Meredith glared at the door, then heaved a heavy sigh and turned to look at Remus, "was this your idea?"

Remus shook his head, looking contrite, "no, Mere, it was all Sirius' idea," he said, standing up and walking towards her. Meredith stepped back, but eventually her back hit the door and she was stuck. "But…I'm happy he did it, because I wanted to talk to you."

Meredith looked at him, then looked away, glaring at the door, "goddamn it, Sirius," she muttered. Grudgingly she sat down but refused to meet Remus' eyes, "so, what do you want to say to me?" she asked.

Remus looked at her and sighed, sitting down in front of her, "Meredith, please, look at me," he said, grabbing her hand and looking into her eyes. When she looked up at him there were tears in her eyes, "Meredith, I love you. I always have, I always will."

Meredith shook her head, looking away from him and swallowing hard, her lower jaw trembling, "goddamn it," she said, and she looked at him, "you know its true what they say…guys get better looking as they get older," she said with a slight smile, wiping her eyes.

Remus smiled, "Meredith Ann Douglas…I love you so much. Will you please give us another shot," he asked, holding her hands tightly.

She looked at him and smiled, biting her lip slightly, "I suppose I can," she said.

He grinned, and pulled her into a tight hug, holding onto her. After a moment he pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss, holding her tightly to him.

Meredith returned the kiss, then smiled at him, "I missed you….so much," she said, running her hand along his chest, looking down at him, "but…I was afraid that…I had changed too much for you to ever love me again but….I can see that you do still."

He nodded, "I still do," he said, kissing her again. They sat together for a while before going to the door, "you think he'll let us out now?

Meredith shrugged, "I really don't care," she said, kissing him deeply again.

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AN:

HEY GUYS! I am so-so sorry for taking so long. I've just been so busy and life has been really nutso. I posted this chapter mostly for my friend Roxann, who has been demanding me to post. But I'd like to get some feedback...so if you guys are still reading please review so I know to keep writing. Love youuuu all!


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